A 31-year-old woman was transferred because of dyspnea that occurred immediately after cesarean section. Initial echocar-diography showed akinesia in apex to mid left ventricular (LV) wall with severe LV systolic dysfunction, which was pre-sumed to be stress-induced cardiomyopathy. Because the patient developed cardiogenic shock, we initially planned on inser-tion of an intra-aortic balloon pump. However, due to aggravation of cardiogenic shock and pulmonary edema, we had to resort to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cardiopulmonary support. In addition, an LV pigtail catheter was applied for decompressing the LV. Finally, she was successfully weaned from ECMO after recovery of LV function.

Stress induced cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient systolic dysfunction of the apical segment of the left ventricle, in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. The clinical presentation of stress induced cardiomyopathy is similar to that of an acute myocardial infarction. Onset of stress induced cardiomyopathy is frequently triggered by intense emotional or physical stress. Hypoglycemia is one type of physical stress that causes stress induced cardiomyopathy. We report on a case of this syndrome associated with hypoglycemia.