Medico-Legal Evaluation of Sudden Cardiac Deaths in Albania, 2014-2015

Sudden cardiac death is an occurrence of extreme severity, with medical, legal, social and public health implications. We have studied the forensic registers with regard to sudden deaths due to heart disease during the years 2014 and 2015 consecutively. Several large scale studies are available, aiming at profiling the risk factors and groups of patients prone to suffer from this event, as well as proposing preventive measures. In our study years, there was a clear male preponderance of sudden deaths due to heart disease; an age profile could be identified as well. An increase in the heart weight beyond normal values as well as the presence of atherosclerosis, its severity, and the mere fact that these preconditions might go undiagnosed and therefore untreated for long periods of time; all these situations need attention and accurate addressing. Being this the second study of our facility on this issue, we can as well compare findings and their evolution from time to time, together with confronting those with other sources reporting on the same theme.