Health Dictionary Find a Doctor

Stress cardiomyopathy physical examination

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Overview

Physical examination findings in patients with stress cardiomyopathy are non-specific and non-diagnostic. The diagnosis of stress cardiomyopathy is largely based on ECG, echocardiographic findings, as well as cardiac catheterization.

Physical examination

Physical examination

The following physical examination findings may be seen in patients with stress cardiomyopathy:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Organ System Findings Suggestive Of
General appearance Patient may be anxious, ill-appearing or diaphoretic
Vital signs Cardiogenic shock
Cardiac Murmurs, S3, gallop rhythm, displaced PMI Heart failure
Respiratory Rales, crackles Pulmonary edema
References

References

  1. Y-Hassan S, Yamasaki K (2013). “History of takotsubo syndrome: is the syndrome really described as a disease entity first in 1990? Some inaccuracies”. Int. J. Cardiol. 166 (3): 736–7. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.09.183. PMID 23073280.
  2. Akashi YJ, Goldstein DS, Barbaro G, Ueyama T (2008). “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a new form of acute, reversible heart failure”. Circulation. 118 (25): 2754–62. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.767012. PMC 4893309. PMID 19106400.
  3. Omerovic E (2011). “How to think about stress-induced cardiomyopathy?–Think “out of the box”!”. Scand. Cardiovasc. J. 45 (2): 67–71. doi:10.3109/14017431.2011.565794. PMID 21401402.
  4. Brenner ZR, Powers J (2008). “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy”. Heart Lung. 37 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2006.12.003. PMID 18206521.
  5. Tsai TT, Nallamothu BK, Prasad A, Saint S, Bates ER (2009). “Clinical problem-solving. A change of heart”. N. Engl. J. Med. 361 (10): 1010–6. doi:10.1056/NEJMcps0903023. PMID 19726776.
  6. Efferth T, Banerjee M, Paul NW (2016). “Broken heart, tako-tsubo or stress cardiomyopathy? Metaphors, meanings and their medical impact”. Int. J. Cardiol. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.12.129. PMID 28041712.
  7. Bybee KA, Kara T, Prasad A, Lerman A, Barsness GW, Wright RS, Rihal CS (2004). “Systematic review: transient left ventricular apical ballooning: a syndrome that mimics ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction”. Ann. Intern. Med. 141 (11): 858–65. PMID 15583228.
  8. Tsuchihashi K, Ueshima K, Uchida T, Oh-mura N, Kimura K, Owa M, Yoshiyama M, Miyazaki S, Haze K, Ogawa H, Honda T, Hase M, Kai R, Morii I (2001). “Transient left ventricular apical ballooning without coronary artery stenosis: a novel heart syndrome mimicking acute myocardial infarction. Angina Pectoris-Myocardial Infarction Investigations in Japan”. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 38 (1): 11–8. PMID 11451258.
  9. Sharkey SW, Lesser JR, Zenovich AG, Maron MS, Lindberg J, Longe TF, Maron BJ (2005). “Acute and reversible cardiomyopathy provoked by stress in women from the United States”. Circulation. 111 (4): 472–9. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000153801.51470.EB. PMID 15687136.
  10. Desmet WJ, Adriaenssens BF, Dens JA (2003). “Apical ballooning of the left ventricle: first series in white patients”. Heart. 89 (9): 1027–31. PMC 1767823. PMID 12923018.
  11. Krishnamoorthy P, Garg J, Sharma A, Palaniswamy C, Shah N, Lanier G, Patel NC, Lavie CJ, Ahmad H (2015). “Gender Differences and Predictors of Mortality in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: Analysis from the National Inpatient Sample 2009-2010 Database”. Cardiology. 132 (2): 131–136. doi:10.1159/000430782. PMID 26159108.

Template:WH Template:WS

Looking for the patient version?

Back to the patient-friendly article

© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH