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The term sudden cardiac death refers to natural death from cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness
Consciousness

Consciousness is a difficult term to define, because the word is used and understood in a wide variety of ways, so that it frequently happens that what one person sees as a definition of consciousness is seen by others as about something else altogether....
 within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms. Other forms of sudden death may be noncardiac in origin. Examples of this include respiratory arrest
Respiratory arrest

Respiratory arrest is the cessation of breathing. It is a medical emergency and it usually is related to or coincides with a cardiac arrest. Causes include opiate, head injury, anaesthesia or drowning....
 (such as due to airway obstruction, which may be seen in cases of choking
Choking

Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some,...
 or asphyxiation), toxicity or poisoning, anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an acute Circulatory system and very severe Type I hypersensitivity allergy reaction in humans and other mammals. The term comes from the Greek words a?a ana and f??a??? phylaxis ....
, or trauma.

It is important to make a distinction between this term and the related term cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during Systole ....
, which refers to cessation of cardiac pump function which may be reversible (i.e., may not be fatal).






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The term sudden cardiac death refers to natural death from cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness
Consciousness

Consciousness is a difficult term to define, because the word is used and understood in a wide variety of ways, so that it frequently happens that what one person sees as a definition of consciousness is seen by others as about something else altogether....
 within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms. Other forms of sudden death may be noncardiac in origin. Examples of this include respiratory arrest
Respiratory arrest

Respiratory arrest is the cessation of breathing. It is a medical emergency and it usually is related to or coincides with a cardiac arrest. Causes include opiate, head injury, anaesthesia or drowning....
 (such as due to airway obstruction, which may be seen in cases of choking
Choking

Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some,...
 or asphyxiation), toxicity or poisoning, anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an acute Circulatory system and very severe Type I hypersensitivity allergy reaction in humans and other mammals. The term comes from the Greek words a?a ana and f??a??? phylaxis ....
, or trauma.

It is important to make a distinction between this term and the related term cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during Systole ....
, 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
Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis....
 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
      Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

      Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM or HOCM, is a disease of the myocardium in which a portion of the myocardium is left ventricular hypertrophy without any obvious cause....
    • Dilated cardiomyopathy
      Dilated cardiomyopathy

      Dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM, also known as congestive cardiomyopathy, is a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, and cannot pump blood efficiently....
    • Myocardial infarction
      Myocardial infarction

      Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
    • Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy
      Noncompaction cardiomyopathy

      Non-compaction cardiomyopathy , also called spongiform cardiomyopathy, is a rare Congenital disorder cardiomyopathy that affects both children and adults....
  • Inflammatory, infiltrative, neoplastic, and degenerative processes
  • Diseases of the cardiac valves
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Primary electrophysiological abnormalities, such as
    • Long QT syndrome
      Long QT syndrome

      The long QT syndrome is a rare congenital heart condition with delayed repolarization following depolarization of the heart, associated with fainting due to left ventricle cardiac arrhythmia, possibly of type torsade de pointes, which can deteriorate into ventricular fibrillation and ultimately Sudden cardiac death....
      , both congenital and acquired
    • Sick sinus syndrome
      Sick sinus syndrome

      Sick sinus syndrome, also called sinus node dysfunction, is a group of abnormal heart rhythms presumably caused by a malfunction of the sinus node, the heart's primary pacemaker....
    • Brugada syndrome
      Brugada syndrome

      The Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease that is characterised by abnormal electrocardiogram findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death....
    • Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
      Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

      Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia is an electrophysiological disorder of the heart that occurs in genetic predisposition individuals....
  • Rhythm instability related to neurohumoral and central nervous system
    Central nervous system

    The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the bodies of multicellular organisms....
     influences
  • Commotio cordis
    Commotio cordis

    Commotio cordis is a sudden disturbance of heart rhythm observed mostly in boys and young men during participation in sports. Commotio cordis is Latin for "commotion of the heart": the term refers to a functional effect of mechanical stimulation in the absence of structural damage, as opposed to myocardial contusion which involves tissu...
  • Mechanical interference with venous return
  • Aortic dissection
    Aortic dissection

    Aortic dissection is a tear in the wall of the aorta that causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force the layers apart....
  • Toxic/metabolic disturbances


External links

  • Sudden Cardiac Arrest Page