Abstract: | BackgroundSudden cardiac death (SCD) is a sudden unexpected event, from a cardiac cause,
that occurs in less than one hour after the symptoms onset, in a person without
any previous condition that would seem fatal or who was seen without any symptoms
24 hours before found dead. Although it is a relatively frequent event, there are
only few reliable data in underdeveloped countries.ObjectiveWe aimed to describe the features of SCD in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil (600,000
residents) according to Coroners’ Office autopsy reports.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 4501 autopsy reports between 2006 and 2010, to
identify cases of SCD. Specific cause of death as well as demographic information,
date, location and time of the event, comorbidities and whether cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) was attempted were collected.ResultsWe identified 899 cases of SCD (20%); the rate was 30/100000 residents per year.
The vast majority of cases of SCD involved a coronary artery disease (CAD) (64%)
and occurred in men (67%), between the 6th and the 7th
decades of life. Most events occurred during the morning in the home setting
(53.3%) and CPR was attempted in almost half of victims (49.7%). The most
prevalent comorbidity was systemic hypertension (57.3%). Chagas’ disease was
present in 49 cases (5.5%).ConclusionThe majority of victims of SCD were men, in their sixties and seventies and the
main cause of death was CAD. Chagas’ disease, an important public health problem
in Latin America, was found in about 5.5% of the cases. |