Definition:
Basic Definition - Sudden Death
- An instant unexpected death.
- A death that occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms.
Sudden Cardiac Death
- A death resulting from an abrupt loss of heart function (cardiac arrest).
- An instant unexpected death which occurs within one hour of an abrupt change in a person's stable clinical state. The mechanism is generally a ventricular tachyarrhythmia. [Irregular heart beat]
- Also called "Sudden Arrest"
Also Known as: Sudden Arrest, Sudden Cardiac Death, Sudden Death, Cardiac Arrest
Source:
Sudden Cardiac Death. AHA Position Paper. American Heart Association. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4741
Sudden Death. 2003. The Montgomery Heart Foundation for Cardiomyopathy. Available at: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/cardiomyopathy/sudden_cardiac_death.htm
