The little-known condition was first coined in Japan in 1990 and named after the native word for an octopus pot, which has a unique shape that resembles a broken left ventricle.

It is provoked when the heart muscle is suddenly “stunned”, causing the left ventricle to change shape, and is typically prompted by “intense emotional or physical stress”.

It affects the heart’s ability to pump blood and, according to the BHF, there remains no known medical cure.