Sudden death is a frequent event whose causes may not be anticipated, but often has a cardiac origin. Sudden cardiac death is the final consequence of many pathophysiological mechanisms which have caused acute or chronic arrhythmogenic disease. Single or multifactorial triggering factors may interact with the arrhythmogenic substrate to lead to lethal arrhythmias. Stratifying populations accord...

Sudden cardiac death describes the unexpected natural death from a cardiac cause within a short time period, generally #1 hour from the onset of symptoms, in a person without any prior condition that would appear fatal. Such a rapid death is often attributed to a cardiac arrhythmia, but with the advent of monitoring capabilities from implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), it is now wel...

Over the past decade, there has been a significant decrease in the hospital mortality of patients with coronary artery disease. However, sudden cardiac death, which accounts for the majority of deaths from coronary artery disease, hasbeen little affected. This report reviews the pathology, electrophysiology, demographics and clinical presentation of sudden cardiac death. Emergency care and poss...