Sudden cardiac death (patient information)
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Edzel Lorraine Co, D.M.D., M.D.
Overview
- Sudden cardiac death arises when the heart suddenly stops and not given prompt treatment. This happens because a problem occurs with the electrical system of the heart.
What are the symptoms of sudden cardiac death?
- Patients with sudden cardiac death can experience:
What causes sudden cardiac death?
Some medical problems that could cause sudden cardiac death include:
- Thickening of the heart muscles
- Electrical conduction problem of the heart
- Lung problems
- Illegal use of drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin
- Electrolyte problems
Who is at highest risk?
- Patients with ongoing heart problems are at high risk of experiencing sudden cardiac death.
- This include:
Diagnosis
- Cardiac monitoring must be done to patients who arrive in emergency department for evaluation of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA0. Full cardiac assessment is carried out to patients who survive SCA and these tests include:
- Right after a sudden death, autopsy and genetic testing] are done to determine the cause of death.
- For a more specific diagnosis, further workup such as toxicology screen, chemistry and microbiology workup are done [2], [3].
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for (disease name)?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
Sources
- ↑ Katritsis DG, Gersh BJ, Camm AJ (2016). "A Clinical Perspective on Sudden Cardiac Death". Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 5 (3): 177–182. doi:10.15420/aer.2016:11:2. PMC 5248660. PMID 28116082.
- ↑ Bagnall RD, Weintraub RG, Ingles J, Duflou J, Yeates L, Lam L; et al. (2016). "A Prospective Study of Sudden Cardiac Death among Children and Young Adults". N Engl J Med. 374 (25): 2441–52. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1510687. PMID 27332903.
- ↑ Basso C, Aguilera B, Banner J, Cohle S, d'Amati G, de Gouveia RH; et al. (2017). "Guidelines for autopsy investigation of sudden cardiac death: 2017 update from the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology". Virchows Arch. 471 (6): 691–705. doi:10.1007/s00428-017-2221-0. PMC 5711979. PMID 28889247.