Sudden Cardiac Death
Sudden Cardiac Death Causes
Most of the cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death happen when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) or both. This irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) causes the heart to abruptly stop beating.
Sudden Cardiac Death Definition
Sudden cardiac death (also known as sudden arrest) is death resulting from an abrupt loss of heart function (cardiac arrest). The victim may or may not have already been diagnosed with heart disease. The time and mode of death are both unexpected. It occurs within minutes after symptoms arise.
Sudden Cardiac Death Symptoms and Signs
The most common underlying reason for patients to die all of a sudden from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease (fatty buildups in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle).
Sudden Cardiac Death Treatment
If a cardiac arrest was due to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, survivors are at risk for a future arrest, especially if they have underlying heart disease.