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Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Jeweler Following a Hold‐up: Forensic Considerations
Author(s) -
Savall Frederic,
Dedouit Fabrice,
Telmon Norbert,
Rougé Daniel
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12207
Subject(s) - cardiomyopathy , medicine , forensic pathology , medical emergency , homicide , aggression , poison control , autopsy , injury prevention , psychiatry , cardiology , heart failure
The authors present a case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy ( TTC ) following physical assault. In France, public prosecutor orders a medicolegal assessment after an assault for all living victims. Medicolegal assessment aims to establish a causal relation between an aggression and the injury sustained. An 80‐year‐old jeweler was the victim of assault, restraint and confinement during the hold‐up of his jewelry store. After the event, he experienced constrictive chest pain with a sensation of oppression. Transthoracic echography showed apical and middle wall akinesis with apical ballooning pattern. In this case, the experts reasonably accepted that there was a direct, certain, and exclusive causal relation between the aggression and the cardiomyopathy. Forensic specialists should be aware of TTC because it is a frequent complication of stress situations and its incidence in forensic cases is probably underestimated.