Sudden cardiac death: An autopsy study

Introduction: The most common cause of sudden cardiac death is ischaemic. Such patients may have an occlusive recent thrombosis in one or more major coronary arteries. An area of stenosis of 85 per cent is the best discriminating level for increased mortality. Objective: To study the cardiac causes of sudden death. Materials and Methods: 200 medicolegal cases of sudden death requested for pathological examination of heart were studied. A careful study of the information given by the police and forensic medicine experts was done. The heart was examined macroscopically for clots, thrombi, any anomalies, tumors or any other pathological signs. The sections of the organ were studied. Results: A total of 200 cases were studied with 120 males and 80 females. Majority of them (70%) weighed less than 300 grams. Only 2 weighed more than 350 grams. Cardiomyopathies were recognized in 30 specimen. Dilated cardiomyopathy was most common among them and accounted for 20 cases. Conclusion: Personal experience of studying such patients, suggests that the majority of deaths are indeed cardiac. The various causes of sudden cardiac death must be correlated with pathological findings to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.