Takotsubo syndrome, also known as broken-heart syndrome, presents as acute heart failure with a charasteristic abnormality of left ventricular wall motion and relatively rapid recovery of myocardial contractility. It mimics acute coronary syndrome but occurs without acute coronary occlusion. Its prevalence is between 2 % and 3 % among all patients presenting with clinical features of acute coronary syndrome. The syndrome most commonly affects women between 60 and 80 years of age.
Optimal care requires a comprehensive approach that integrates pharmacological and non-pharmacological management, with outpatient cardiac rehabilitation playing a crucial role. This includes psychosocial counselling, supervised exercise training, and counseling on habitual physical activity. However, referral of patients with takotsubo syndrome to cardiac rehabilitation remains low due to limited evidence on the safety and efficancy of physical activity and exercise training. This thesis aimed to conduct a systematic review on this topic and to propose a comprehensive exercise training program for physical activity and exercise training.
A systematic literature review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science using the keywords “takotsubo syndrome”, “physical activity”, “exercise”, and “cardiac rehabilitation”. Of 511 records screened, four studies met the inclusion criteria: two retrospective studies, one randomised study, and one case report. All interventions included aerobic training; three also included resistance training. The duration of exercise training interventions ranged from three months to three years. Exercise frequency was 2–3 sessions per week, with 20–60 minutes per session. Aerobic training was performed on a treadmill or cycle ergometer for 20–50 minutes at 65–75 % of maximal heart rate or 40–59 % of heart rate reserve. Resistance training for upper and lower limbs was performed as an adjunct exercise modality for 15 minutes per session at 40–60 % of one-repetition maximum (1-RM). Reported outcomes included changes in hemodynamics, aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and quality of life, along with lower rehospitalisation rates.
Current evidence suggest that physical activity and structured exercise are safe, feasible, and effective for patients with takotsubo syndrome. However, there is still a lack of randomized controlled trials, which limits the quality of the evidence nedded to form a disease-specific guidelines for optimal cardiac rehabilitation in patients with takotsubo syndrome.
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