Introduction:

Stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo syndrome is associated with reduced ejection fraction, elevated levels of cardiac enzymes and signs of ischemia on the electrocardiogram. However, it rarely occurs with complications as important as cardiac tamponade, significant deterioration of contractility and the possibility of thrombi within the ventricular cavity. These are underestimated despite putting the patient's life at risk.

Objective:

To describe the case of a patient with stress cardiomyopathy with cardiac tamponade as an unusual complication.

Clinical case report:

A case of a female patient in her nineties is reported due to her history of primary systemic arterial hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She had chest pain with contractility disorders of the usual pattern corresponding to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in which other differential diagnoses were ruled out.

Conclusions:

This case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with a cardiovascular complication as important and unusual as cardiac tamponade, provides information on this rare disease in our setting.

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