title: The sudden death of Patsy Custis, or George Washington on sudden unexplained death in epilepsy.
abstract: Patsy Custis, George Washington's stepdaughter, died suddenly during a brief seizure in 1773. Accounts of Patsy's illness and unexpected death were abstracted from George Washington's papers available via the Library of Congress. Patsy's epilepsy, the treatments she received, and his descriptions of her death were studied. Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) criteria are applied and discussed. George Washington's description of Patsy's epilepsy and subsequent death meet criteria for SUDEP.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Epilepsy Center, 801 Broadway, Suite 901, Seattle, WA 98122, USA. michael.doherty@swedish.org
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Doherty
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D014956:Writing / Q000266:history