Orlando health cardiologist explains realities of ‘broken heart syndrome’
Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, Dr. Ly Tran, joins WESH 2 to explain the medical condition known as “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy”
REALLY GREAT INFORMATION KEEPING US ALL SAFE HERE. NOW TO AMERICAN HEART MONTH AS WE GET CLOSER TO VALENTINE’S DAY TOMORROW, WE’RE SHIFTING THAT FOCUS AWAY FROM ROMANCE AND TOWARD HEART HEALTH. AND AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER, PEOPLE COME TO EXPERIENCE THE FEELING OF BROKEN HEARTEDNESS OR HEARTBROKENNESS. EXPERTS SAY THAT A BROKEN HEART IS ACTUALLY A REAL MEDICAL CONDITION. AND JOINING US LIVE NOW TO EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT WHAT EXPERTS CALL BROKEN HEART SYNDROME IS ORLANDO HEALTH CARDIOLOGIST DOCTOR LEE TRAN. DOC, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. GOOD MORNING. SO, DOCTOR, WHAT IS BROKEN HEART SYNDROME? YES. SO BROKEN HEART SYNDROME IS A CONDITION WHERE THE HEART MUSCLE SUDDENLY BECOMES WEAKENED AND IT MIMICS THE SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK. AND TYPICALLY IT IS TRIGGERED OR BROUGHT ON SOME SORT OF EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL STRESSOR. OKAY. AND WHEN WE THINK OF A HEART ATTACK, DOCTOR, WE THINK OF THAT THAT MAYBE THAT PAIN AND SHARP PAINS. BUT ARE THERE OTHER SYMPTOMS HERE WE NEED TO LOOK FOR WITH THIS CONDITION? YES. SO IT PRESENTS ITSELF AS SYMPTOMS OF CHEST PAIN, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, FEELING FATIGUED, FEELING POORLY. LOW BLOOD PRESSURE, MAYBE IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT, IRREGULAR HEART RHYTHM OR EVEN PASSING OUT. SO CAN YOU BREAK DOWN THE DIFFERENCES THOUGH? IF YOU’RE THINKING, OKAY, AM I HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR AM I JUST GOING THROUGH SOMETHING EMOTIONAL, DIFFICULT? AND MAYBE THAT’S BROKEN HEART SYNDROME. SO THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THE TWO, RIGHT? IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL. AND PREDOMINANTLY WHAT I WOULD SHARE IS THAT PATIENTS KNOW THEIR BODIES BEST. AND IF THERE’S SOMETHING ACUTELY WRONG AND THEY FEEL THOSE SYMPTOMS, THEY NEED TO PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OR SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION SO THAT WE CAN DO THE PROPER WORKUP AND DELINEATE THE TWO. ALL RIGHT. AND WHAT’S BEHIND THIS CONDITION AND WHAT GROUP IS MOST AT RISK HERE? HAVE YOU SEEN. RIGHT. SO THE UNDERSTANDING IS THERE’S A HUGE SURGE OF STRESS HORMONES THAT GETS RELEASED. THERE’S SOME UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND THE HEART. LINK AND I HAVE A MODEL I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU. YEAH. SO THIS IS THE HEART ITSELF. CUT IN HALF. SO THIS IS THE MUSCLE AND THE WALLS. AND IN BROKEN HEART SYNDROME, THE MUSCLE ITSELF BECOMES WEAKENED AND IT DOES NOT PUMP PROPERLY AND THEREFORE MIMICS THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK. BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, A HEART ATTACK AND BROKEN HEART SYNDROME, IS THAT WHEN WE DO OUR TESTING, THE ARTERIES THAT LIVE ON TOP OF THE HEART THAT FEEDS THE MUSCLE, THEY ARE NOT CLOGGED OR BLOCKED, BUT IN A HEART ATTACK IT IS ACUTELY CLOGGED OR BLOCKED AND WEAKENS THE MUSCLE. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. OKAY. AND SO IS THIS A PERMANENT WEAKENING? SO THE WEAKENING IS REVERSIBLE FOR THE MOST PART, AND THERE’S A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS THAT HAVE MORE COMPLICATED OR SERIOUS CONDITIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT CAN LEAD TO ABOUT 5% MORTALITY. SO DOC HOW DO YOU TREAT THIS. I MEAN, BOTH OF THESE THESE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT’S A HEART ATTACK OR IF IT’S BROKEN HEART SYNDROME, A HEART ATTACK, YOU KNOW, IN AN ACUTE PHASE WHEN THEY PRESENT TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS AN EMERGENCY, RIGHT? THEY GET LABORATORY WORKUP, THEY GET AN EKG, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, THEY WOULD GO TO THE CATH LAB TO GET AN ANGIOGRAM TO EVALUATE IF THE ARTERY IS BLOCKED AND THEY GET STENTED BASICALLY, WITH BROKEN HEART SYNDROME, THE SAME WORKUP OCCURS. AND THEN THE EVIDENCE IS NO BLOCKED ARTERY. SO THEN WE WOULD TREAT THE PATIENT WITH MEDICATIONS AND SEVERITY RANGES. SO IN MILD CASES WE TREAT IT WITH MEDICATIONS. AND IN SEVERE CASES WITH COMPLICATIONS OF HEART FAILURE THE PATIENT MAY NEED MECHANICAL SUPPORT OKAY. AND LET’S TALK HERE AS WE WRAP UP DOCTOR. WHAT WE CAN ALL DO TO AVOID THIS SYNDROME. BROKEN HEART SYNDROME. RIGHT. SO THE UNDERSTANDING IS THERE’S UNDERLYING RISK FACTORS OF MENTAL HEALTH OR PHYSICAL NEEDS. SO MENTAL HEALTH IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BE AWARE OF AND UNDERSTANDING OUR BODIES PHYSICAL HEALTH TOO IS IMPROVING ON YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. AEROBIC EXERCISE AND CHOOSING A BETTER DIET. ALL RIGHT DOC THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO IMPORTANT THIS TIME. THIS TIME OF THE MONTH WE KNOW IT’S HEART MONTH. WE’VE BEEN FOCUSING ON THIS. SO WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE TIME.
Orlando health cardiologist explains realities of ‘broken heart syndrome’
Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, Dr. Ly Tran, joins WESH 2 to explain the medical condition known as “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy”
Updated: 9:57 AM EST Feb 13, 2026
Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, Dr. Ly Tran, joins WESH 2 to explain “broken heart syndrome.”The medical condition known as “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.”Tran describes the symptoms, how to avoid “broken heart syndrome,” and how the condition compares to a heart attack. Click here to learn more.Watch experts at Orlando Health answer the question: “Is ‘broken heart syndrome’ a real thing?”
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Orlando Health Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, Dr. Ly Tran, joins WESH 2 to explain “broken heart syndrome.”
The medical condition known as “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.”
Tran describes the symptoms, how to avoid “broken heart syndrome,” and how the condition compares to a heart attack.
Watch experts at Orlando Health answer the question: “Is ‘broken heart syndrome’ a real thing?”