New blood test can differentiate heart attacks from 'broken heart syndrome'

It looks like a heart attack. It feels like a heart attack. But it is not. An invasive procedure, however, is already being performed to check for blocked arteries. A new international study published in the journal "European Heart Journal" suggests there may be a smarter way to handle the situation before doctors even resort to the catheter. Researchers developed a diagnostic tool called the BioTAK score — based on four blood measurements and one factor (sex) —, capable of identifying Takotsubo syndrome (or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy), better known as "broken heart syndrome," with high reliability before performing invasive coronary angiography. In a surprising number of patients — especially women — there is no blockage at all. Instead, they present a condition in which intense stress or emotion causes part of the heart to stop pumping normally. Takotsubo syndrome accounts for a significant portion of cases in which patients with acute cardiac symptoms do not have obstructive coronary artery disease, representing a major diagnostic challenge in clinical practice. The BioTAK score tool allows early identification of these patients, avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures and enabling more targeted clinical management.