Broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a relatively rare condition, accounting for 1-3 % of all cases in patients initially presenting with symptoms similar to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It mostly occurs in women over the age of 50. To date, the etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms of this syndrome's development have not been fully clarified, but it is known that it is most often caused by significant emotional or physical stress. The clinical presentation of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is very similar to ACS, with patients most commonly complaining of chest pain and difficulty breathing. Patients with TTS may develop some complications, including heart failure, cardiogenic shock, malignant arrhythmias, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, mitral regurgitation or thrombus formation. Due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis of TTS is made by excluding other similar conditions, with the revised Mayo Clinic criteria from 2008 and the InterTAK diagnostic score being sometimes used as helpful tools. Diagnostic methods include electrocardiogram (ECG), blood biomarkers, echocardiography, coronary angiography and left ventriculography, which constitutes the gold standard in making a diagnosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging can also be used, though it is rarely done in practice. Upon hospital admission, patients are most often treated under the working diagnosis of ACS, and after its exclusion, treatment shifts to a supportive approach. It is extremely important to recognize and treat TTS complications in a timely manner, and great importance is also placed on preventing recurrences of this syndrome. The prognosis of TTS is good, with 95 % of patients making a full recovery, while the in-hospital mortality rate is 5 %. Although the prognosis is favorable, TTS has not yet been fully investigated. Additional research is needed in the future to better understand the mechanisms of the syndrome and treatment options.