Plötzlicher Herztod

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death is one of the most common causes of death and a significant number of sudden deaths occurs especially in young people. Sudden cardiac death is also frequently represented in forensic autopsy practice. In such cases pathological findings in the heart can often explain the reason for the acute death. These pathological changes include not only myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis and all forms of myocarditis/endocarditis but also rare diseases, such as hereditary structural or arrythmogenic anomalies, lesions of the cardiac conduction system or primary cardiac tumors.

Automated mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices versus manual chest compressions in the treatment of cardiac arrest: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing machine to human

“…Many patients who suffer sudden cardiac arrest have the potential for recovery with good quality of life, but this recovery hinges on high quality CPR at the time of the event. [2][3][4] Burden of disease Sudden cardiac arrest following coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in industrialised nations with an age-related prevalence of 80-150 per 100 000 person years and mortality rates as high as 80%-90%. In about 10% of patients, sudden cardiac arrest following an acute myocardial infarction is the first manifestation of a (previously unknown) coronary heart disease.…”

“…In younger patients, ion channel disease, hereditary cardiomyopathies and myocarditis are frequent causes of sudden cardiac arrest. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Reflecting this special group, sudden cardiac arrest is a vast socioeconomic burden, as these patients are at the height of their careers. With the progress of modern medicine, even elderly or handicapped people have the potential to recover from an incident with a good quality of life.…”