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Sudden Cardiac Death

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Cardiac Pathology

Abstract

Sudden death from cardiac disease is common, and this section deals with how to confirm the cardiac disease as the cause of the death. It also considers other (noncardiac) conditions that may masquerade as cardiac disease. A pragmatic approach to the common disorders of ischemic heart disease, valvular pathology, cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis is given. An analysis of channelopathies is provided together with consideration of abnormal conduction pathways. Issues regarding deaths following stressful events are debated, particularly from a medicolegal perspective, and aspects of postoperative deaths are also described. The role of obesity in sudden cardiac death is presented along with rarer causes of sudden death (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, commotio cordis, and muscular dystrophy). A simple tabular analysis of the likelihood of cardiac pathology being implicated in the cause of death is provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Histopathology, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, S5 7AU, UK

    S. Kim Suvarna MBBS, B.Sc., FRCP, FRCPath

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  1. S. Kim Suvarna MBBS, B.Sc., FRCP, FRCPath
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Correspondence to S. Kim Suvarna MBBS, B.Sc., FRCP, FRCPath .

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  1. , Department of Pathology, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield, S5 7AU, United Kingdom

    S. Kim Suvarna

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Suvarna, S.K. (2013). Sudden Cardiac Death. In: Suvarna, S. (eds) Cardiac Pathology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2407-8_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2407-8_14

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