title: Transient apical ballooning accompanying respiratory infection.
abstract: We report the case of a 75-year-old man, referred for worsening dyspnea and fever. The electrocardiography (ECG) showed mild ST-elevation in anterior leads, while cardiac echography severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction with apical ballooning. Later on, ECG showed negative T-waves and QT-prolongation in the same anterior leads and T-waves positivization during fever peak. Ten days later, LV ejection fraction completely recovered, apical ballooning and fever disappeared. We, therefore, hypothesize that transient apical ballooning found in our patient may have been induced by a respiratory infection, not detectable at seriate blood cultures.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. nd.brunetti@unifg.it
authors.forename: Natale Daniele
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Brunetti
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leva
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Passero
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Correale
authors.forename: Ezio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dioguardi
authors.forename: Deodata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montrone
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Gennaro
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Biase
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications*; D054549:Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography