Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on frequency of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke that is not included in the usual cardioembolic risk assessments for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of OSA on stroke rate in patients with AF. Patients with AF and new diagnoses of OSA were identified from retrospective chart review.

Prevalence and consequences of vitamin D insufficiency in women with takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and clinical consequences of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of acute, transient left ventricular dysfunction seen predominantly in postmenopausal women after acute emotional or physical stress. Postmenopausal women have a high prevalence of bone and musculoskeletal consequences related to hypovitaminosis D.

Pretreatment with low-dose β-adrenergic antagonist therapy does not affect severity of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of transient left ventricular dysfunction following acute emotional or physical stress without obstructive coronary artery disease. The leading hypothesis for the etiology is stress-induced catecholamine surge.

Hypothesis: People taking outpatient β-adrenergic receptor antagonist therapy have less-severe presentation and clinical course of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a transient acute left ventricular dysfunction characterized by left ventricular apical akinesis and ballooning without obstructive coronary disease described predominantly in post-menopausal women in the setting of acute emotional or physical stress. Recent reports have described isolated transient basal akinesis (inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy) in mostly female patients with acute neurologic disorders or pheochromocytoma. We describe a rare case of a 78-year-old male with inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the setting of acute abdominal pain attributed to biliary colic.