I believe we all often see cases of sudden death in the news, but do you understand what sudden death is?
Sudden death is a natural death that occurs suddenly. Sudden death can be caused by cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous system diseases, drugs, alcohol, bleeding allergies and poisoning, but sudden cardiac death is more common.
The most common cause of sudden cardiac death is a fatal malignant ventricular arrhythmia, including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.
People at risk for sudden cardiac death
1. patients with coronary artery disease
2. post-myocardial infarction with low cardiac ejection fraction
3. people who have had previous cardiac arrest
4. family history of cardiac arrest
5. dilated cardiomyopathy with heart failure
6. congenital and genetic disorders such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, Brugade syndrome
Predisposing factors of sudden cardiac death
1. people with underlying diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus
2. smokers
3. people with poor dietary habits: alcohol abuse, overeating, excessive intake of high-fat, high-protein foods
4. people with poor lifestyle: busy work, late nights, little exercise, obesity, or improper exercise, excessive strenuous exercise, etc.
5. work, mental stress: often cause or aggravate coronary artery spasm leading to heart attack. Research shows that mental stress, emotional excitement, physical exertion, etc. can easily become a trigger for heart disease
Sudden cardiac death precursors
Most sudden cardiac deaths are preceded by an “aura”. However, these “auguries” are often hidden in the underlying disease and are not specific enough to be detected in time. The ability to catch these “telltale signs” is often the key to saving lives.
Many patients have prodromal symptoms for days, weeks, or even months prior to cardiac arrest, such as increased angina, shortness of breath or palpitations, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, chest tightness, extreme fatigue, and other non-specific symptoms of discomfort.
These prodromal symptoms are not unique to sudden cardiac death and can be easily confused with other diseases. To assess whether you are at risk, it is recommended that you seek a thorough examination by a specialist cardiologist.
Symptoms of Sudden Cardiac Death
When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the patient suddenly loses consciousness, does not respond to calls, has closed teeth, and has twitching of the limbs.
In the event of cardiac arrest, timely and effective resuscitation may still prevent sudden cardiac death from occurring. If effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not performed for more than 4 minutes, the patient will lose the chance of survival. Even if breathing and heartbeat are restored, the brain may have irreversible damage and become a vegetable.
(Information from Medtronic)
