NT-proBNP/cardiac troponin T ratio >7.5 on the second day of admission can differentiate Takotsubo from acute coronary syndrome with good accuracy.

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is not usually diagnosed until patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and echocardiographically detected apical aneurysm are found to have "normal" coronary angiography (CA). Our aim was to explore whether cardiac biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis of TTS.

Methods: Ratios of N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT) both expressed in pg/mL [admission and the 3 following days] were compared in 38 patients with TTS and 114 ACS patients of whom 58 had non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).