Sudden cardiac death

cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms.[1] Other forms of sudden death may be noncardiac in origin. Examples of this include respiratory arrest (such as due to airway obstruction, which may be seen in cases of choking or asphyxiation), toxicity or poisoning, anaphylaxis, or trauma.[2]

It is important to make a distinction between this term and the related term cardiac arrest, which refers to cessation of cardiac pump function which may be reversible (i.e., may not be fatal). The phrase sudden cardiac death is a public health concept incorporating the features of natural, rapid, and unexpected. It does not specifically refer to the mechanism or cause of death
Causes
Although the most frequent underlying cause of sudden cardiac death is coronary artery disease, other categories of causes include:

Non-atherosclerotic coronary artery abnormalities
Hypertrophy of ventricular myocardium
Myocardial diseases and heart failure, including
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Myocardial infarction
Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy
Inflammatory, infiltrative, neoplastic, and degenerative processes
Diseases of the cardiac valves
Congenital heart disease
Primary electrophysiological abnormalities, such as
Long QT syndrome, both congenital and acquired
Sick sinus syndrome
Brugada syndrome
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
Rhythm instability related to neurohumoral and central nervous system influences
Commotio cordis
Mechanical interference with venous return
Aortic dissection
Toxic/metabolic disturbances

[edit] References
^ Myerburg, Robert J. "Cardiac Arrest and Sudden Cardiac Death" in Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 7th edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2005.
^ Sudden Unexpected Death: Causes and Contributing Factors on poptop.hypermart.net.

[edit] External links
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation
Arrhythmia Alliance Sudden Cardiac Arrest Page



[hide]v • d • eCardiovascular disease: heart disease · Circulatory system pathology (I00-I52, 390-429)

Ischaemic/
Acute coronary CD/CHD CAD · Coronary thrombosis · Coronary vasospasm · Coronary artery aneurysm

Active ischemia Angina pectoris (Prinzmetal's angina) · Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

Sequelae Myocardial stunning · Myocardial rupture · Dressler's syndrome


Layers Pericardium Pericarditis (Acute, Chronic/Constrictive) · Pericardial effusion (Hemopericardium, Cardiac tamponade)

Myocardium Myocarditis (Chagas disease)
Cardiomyopathy: Dilated (Alcoholic) · Hypertrophic · Restrictive (Loeffler endocarditis, Cardiac amyloidosis, Endocardial fibroelastosis)

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

Endocardium/
valves Endocarditis Infective endocarditis (Subacute bacterial endocarditis) · noninfective endocarditis (Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis, Libman-Sacks endocarditis)


Valves mitral (regurgitation, prolapse, stenosis) · aortic (stenosis, insufficiency) · tricuspid (stenosis, insufficiency) · pulmonary (stenosis, insufficiency)



Conduction/
arrhythmia Bradycardia Sinus bradycardia · Sick sinus syndrome
Heart block: Sinoatrial · AV (1°, 2°, 3°) · Intraventricular (Bundle branch/Right/Left, Left anterior fascicular/Left posterior fascicular, Bifascicular/Trifascicular) · Adams-Stokes syndrome

Tachycardia
(paroxysmal and sinus) Supraventricular Atrial (Multifocal) · Junctional (AV nodal reentrant, Junctional ectopic)

Ventricular Torsades de pointes · Catecholaminergic polymorphic · Accelerated idioventricular rhythm


Premature contraction Atrial · Ventricular

Pre-excitation syndrome Wolff-Parkinson-White · Lown-Ganong-Levine

Flutter/fibrillation Atrial flutter · Ventricular flutter · Atrial fibrillation (Familial) · Ventricular fibrillation

Pacemaker Wandering pacemaker · Ectopic pacemaker/Ectopic beat · Parasystole · Multifocal atrial tachycardia

Long QT syndrome Romano-Ward syndrome · Andersen-Tawil syndrome · Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome

Cardiac arrest Sudden cardiac death · Asystole · Pulseless electrical activity

Other/ungrouped Right axis deviation · Short QT syndrome · Sinoatrial arrest · T wave alternans


Other Cardiac fibrosis · Cardiomegaly · Ventricular hypertrophy (Left, Right/Cor pulmonale)
Heart failure (Cardiac asthma) · Rheumatic fever