Subscribe
Sudden cardiac death
Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation effective for sudden cardiac death?
Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation useful for sudden cardiac arrest? Of course, it is useful. The emergency measure for sudden cardiac arrest is to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If the patient receives CPR within four minutes, they are very likely to survive. If there is a delay beyond four minutes, the patient’s life might still be prolonged if resuscitated, but they might suffer brain death and potentially become vegetative. Therefore, it is crucial to administer immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a patient experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, as this is the primary method of resuscitation.
The main cause of sudden cardiogenic cardiac arrest
70% of sudden cardiac deaths are caused by arrhythmias, often referred to as malignant arrhythmias, with the most common ones being ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. A small portion is caused by severe bradycardia. This condition is generally seen in patients with structural heart diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction, severe dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or patients in the late stages of valvular insufficiency or stenosis. It can also occur in patients with severe electrolyte disturbances, who are prone to malignant arrhythmias.
What causes cyanosis of the face and lips in sudden cardiac death?
In patients with cardiogenic sudden death, we can see that their lips turn purple, commonly referred to as cyanosis of the lips. Similarly, their faces also turn purple. This primarily results from cardiac arrest caused by cardiogenic sudden death. Once the heart stops beating, the blood supply to the entire body, including the heart, brain, kidneys, peripheral vessels, face, skin, and fingers, is halted. This leads to a state of hypoxia. The purple discoloration (cyanosis) occurs because, after the heart stops, there is no blood flow and no oxygen exchange in the blood, ultimately leading to hypoxia.
Does sudden cardiac death have a connection with overwork?
Sudden cardiac death is directly related to overexertion, particularly in individuals with coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, viral myocarditis, and heart rhythm disorders, especially those accompanied by heart failure. Excessive strain can increase the burden on the heart, exacerbate heart failure, lead to arrhythmias, and in severe cases, result in sudden death. Therefore, patients with structural heart disease must follow a doctor's guidance to routinely use effective medications for treatment, rest adequately, avoid overexertion, and maintain a low-fat, low-salt diet to minimize factors that increase cardiac load and prevent the occurrence of sudden death.
What does sudden cardiac death mean?
Sudden cardiac death refers to the sudden mortality caused by heart diseases, and the reasons for sudden cardiac death primarily include the following aspects: First, structural heart diseases, such as coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction; acute myocardial infarction is currently the most common cause of sudden cardiac death. Second, certain ion channel diseases, such as Brugada syndrome, or long QT syndrome. These types of ion channel diseases often coincide with malignant ventricular arrhythmias, such as torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, thus leading to the occurrence of these fatal phenomena. Third, severe arrhythmias, such as severe bradycardia or ventricular tachycardia related to structural heart disease, often trigger malignant ventricular arrhythmias, leading to death.
Cardiogenic sudden death is often caused by what reasons and how to avoid it?
The most common cause of sudden cardiac death is currently acute myocardial infarction caused by coronary heart disease. The following measures can often effectively prevent sudden cardiac death: First, maintain good lifestyle habits, such as a low-salt, low-fat diet, maintain good emotional health, avoid extreme emotions, quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and regular exercise is important. Second, active pharmaceutical treatment, such as in cases of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes, should be under the guidance of a doctor. It is crucial to use prescribed medications to lower blood pressure or blood sugar levels and control high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar. Actively managing these conditions can effectively prevent the occurrence of coronary heart disease.
Can sudden cardiac death be hereditary?
Sudden cardiac death has genetic characteristics, and common causes of sudden cardiac death mainly include the following aspects: Coronary heart disease, angina, and myocardial infarction, especially acute myocardial infarction, often lead to sudden death in patients; Secondly, long QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome are also common diseases causing sudden cardiac death and have genetic characteristics as hereditary arrhythmogenic disorders; Thirdly, aortic dissection or pulmonary embolism. These diseases are usually not highly related to genetics but can also cause sudden cardiac death, hence sudden cardiac death is genetic.
The difference between sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction.
Sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction are both types of coronary heart disease; they are classified under coronary heart disease. Sudden cardiac death is mostly caused by extensive myocardial infarction, with some patients experiencing it due to severe arrhythmias leading to sudden death. The primary clinical symptoms of myocardial infarction are typically those of coronary heart disease, including chest tightness, chest pain, and sweating. Sudden cardiac death can be triggered by myocardial infarction, but the two are not the same. Having a myocardial infarction does not necessarily result in sudden death, and myocardial infarction can be alleviated with treatment.
Can an electrocardiogram be used to check for sudden cardiac death?
Can an electrocardiogram (ECG) detect the potential for sudden cardiac death in the future? Sudden cardiac death cannot be detected by an electrocardiogram. An ECG can only identify conditions such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, or premature beats occurring at the time of the test. Sudden cardiac death is a sudden cardiac event that definitely cannot be predicted by an ECG. There are some risk factors for sudden cardiac death, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and underlying diseases like coronary heart disease, which make individuals more susceptible to sudden cardiac death. We cannot rely on an ECG to predict it.
Precursors of cardiogenic sudden death during sleep
Before the onset of cardiac arrest during sleep, patients often exhibit symptoms of coronary heart disease such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Often, these individuals do not pay enough attention to the symptoms, do not undergo timely medical examinations at a hospital, and consequently, there is a delay in the treatment of the condition. It is very unfortunate that sudden deaths occur during sleep, possibly due to fatigue, poor rest, and underlying heart disease, which then leads to cardiac arrest. The precursors of such events can vary from person to person; symptoms may include chest tightness and palpitations, among others. Therefore, it is important that we pay attention to these signs.