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General Rehabilitation

From Stroke to Broken Heart: A Case of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Following Cerebrovascular Event

Friday, October 24, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM MT
Location: Kiosk 2

    Poster Presenter(s)

  • Kenny Tse, DO

    Resident Physician
    Burke Rehabilitation Hospital PM&R Program
    Astoria, New York

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Matthew Slitzky, DO

    Resident
    Burke Rehabilitation Hospital PM&R Program
    White Plains, New York

  • ED

    Eli Dayon, DO

    Resident Physician
    Burke Rehabilitation Hospital PM&R Program
    White Plains, New York

  • Mery Elashvili, MD DO

    Director of stroke rehabilitation service. DIO
    3473534004
    Forest Hills, New York

Disclosure(s):
Kenny Tse, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Matthew Slitzky, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Mery Elashvili, MD DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Case Diagnosis: Rare case of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy following a stroke

Case Description or Program Description: 33-year-old male with a history of hypertension presented with hypertensive emergency, significant aphasia, and right-sided weakness after being found unresponsive. A CT angiogram revealed a left M2 vessel occlusion, and a successful thrombectomy was performed. During his recovery, he developed shortness of breath, and an echocardiogram revealed severe left ventricular dysfunction with a reduced ejection fraction. A follow-up echocardiogram showed normal function, suggesting Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy triggered by the stroke. He was stabilized, transferred to rehabilitation, and made significant progress before returning home

Setting: Academic inpatient rehabilitation facility

Assessment/Results: The patient was diagnosed with transient takotsubo cardiomyopathy following a recent stroke and thrombectomy. His ejection fraction recovered fully, and after completing comprehensive rehabilitation, he was successfully discharged home.

Discussion (relevance): Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), often triggered by acute stress, causes significant left ventricular dysfunction. While its exact pathophysiology remains unclear, excess catecholamine release is thought to play a role. A study by Young et al. found TC more often leads to ischemic stroke than vice versa, though it can go undetected in stroke patients. In this case, TC developed during hospitalization, and the patient was stabilized before rehabilitation. Understanding the bidirectional relationship between stroke and TC is essential, as TC can recur and increase the risk of future strokes.

Conclusions: This case underscores the importance of recognizing TC as a potential complication following an ischemic stroke. Although the patient in this case achieved functional recovery through rehabilitation, the incident highlights the need for vigilant cardiovascular monitoring and management in post-stroke care. By identifying and treating TC early, clinicians can mitigate the risk of recurrence of strokes, ultimately improving long-term outcomes for stroke survivors.