Sudden death: correlation histopathological and biochemical.
The causes of sudden cardiac death are diverse and are function of age. In young people, coronary anomalies, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are the most common findings at autopsies; in adults, coronary atherosclerosis and acquired forms of cardiomyopathy are frequent findings. In many of non-ischemia related cases autopsies are unrevealing. One of the most frustrating challenges is the inability to determine the cause of death in a person previously healthy. The majority of such sudden deaths are caused by acute ventricular tachyarrhythmias, but unfortunately unassociated with structural injury to the heart. The present work evaluates incidence, clinical data, and laboratory tests. Biochemical studies on serum, pericardial fluid, vitreous humour and pathological characteristics of 38 cases of sudden cardiac death from 2003 were investigated by us. Also, non-cardiac natural causes of death must be excluded.
Martínez-Sánchez
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MC
Instituto Nacional de Toxicología y Ciencias Forenses, P.O.Box 863, 41080 Sevilla, Spain. carmenm.sanchez@mju.es
Rodríguez-Vicente
C
C
D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D010496:Pericardium / Q000378:metabolism; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism
D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form