Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC), also called stress cardiomyopathy, is a transient reversible left ventricular dysfunction mimicking acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Studies have shown similar rates of in-hospital complications in TTC and myocardial infarction (MI). Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with increased mortality in patients with MI; however, similar studies comparing outcomes of TTC in the presence of LBBB are lacking. METHODS: The 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried to identify all admissions with a primary discharge diagnosis of TTC. Diagnosis-specific codes were used to stratify patients based on the presence or absence of LBBB. Both population sets were paired using 1:10 propensity score matching. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to compare various in-hospital outcomes among both groups. RESULTS: Amongst 7270 admissions for TTC, 226 patients had concomitant LBBB. After performing 1:10 propensity matching, 130 patients with LBBB were compared to 1275 patients without LBBB. The presence of LBBB was associated with increased odds of cardiogenic shock (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.21-3.99, p = 0.0097); ventricular arrhythmia (AOR 1.99, 95% CI 1.11-3.57, p = 0.02), acute congestive heart failure (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.01-2.2, p = 0.04), and sudden cardiac arrest (AOR = 3.37, 95% CI 1.59-7.13, p = 0.0001). There was no statistical difference in all-cause in-hospital mortality, however a trend towards worsening was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of arrhythmia and shock in patients with TTC does not correlate with the extent of myocardium involvement. The presence of LBBB in such cases can help recognize at-risk populations, and with timely intervention, life-threatening complications can be avoided. Despite limitations of the dataset and inability to establish causality, prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted.