NCJ Number
246262
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 58 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2013 Pages: 1648-1650
Date Published
November 2013
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The authors present a case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy TTC following physical assault.
Abstract
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. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.