Heart failure secondary to bacterial sepsis: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy?

Abstract

DOI: 10.1016/j.rcpe.2016.04.003

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an under-recognised disease in the paediatric population. It could be caused by physical or psychological stress that leads to a reversible cardiac injury. It is characterised by the onset of heart failure signs and symptoms, including electrocardiographic changes, with positive cardiac troponins and healthy coronary circulation. Characteristic apical bulging dyskinesia on left ventricle can be seen in echocardiogram traces, also known as the “Japanese octopus trap”, although any type of dyskinesia may be found. Bacterial sepsis is a well-known cause of Takotsubo reversible cardiomyopathy.

The case id presented of a 2-month old previously healthy female child with cardiogenic-septic-hypovolaemic shock with severely reduced ejection fraction and markedly left ventricle dilatation, which returned to normal parameters after 36 days of intensive care treatment.