Can a pneumothorax break your heart?

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning is a condition characterized by transitory left ventricular dysfunction, affecting commonly postmenopausal females after foregoing acute emotional or physical stress. we report a case of a 63 year old female presenting with severe dyspnea and right-sided secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, initially treated with tube thoracostomy. despite the fact that pneumothorax resolved, shortness of breath persisted and due to st-segment elevation and increased troponin i levels, she was admitted to cardiac catheterization. a significant coronary stenosis was ruled out and the diagnosis of a takotsubo cardiomyopathy was established. electrocardiographic findings were normalized within three days and attributable to prolonged air leakage. a thoracoscopic apex resection followed by a partial parietal pleurectomy was performed. although takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a rare syndrome, it should always be considered as a potential cardiac complication of a pneumothorax.