Rare recurrence of apical ballooning (takotsubo) syndrome in an elderly man

Apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) is an under recognised clinical entity characterised by acute reversible left ventricular systolic dysfunction that mimics acute myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease; typically occurring in the setting of profound stress.1 ABS disproportionately affects older women and recurrences are infrequent. We, hereby, describe a rare phenomenon of recurrent ABS in an elderly male patient, 10 years apart, presenting with the same left ventricular morphological appearance following non-cardiac surgeries. The case illustrates the importance of considering ABS in the differential diagnosis of perioperative acute myocardial infarction in older men undergoing major surgery.