How to Self-Check for Precursors of Cardiogenic Sudden Death

Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
Updated on September 06, 2024
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The majority of cases of sudden cardiac death are due to coronary artery atherosclerotic heart disease, causing extensive myocardial infarction, hence these patients often have precursors. Some individuals experience acute coronary syndrome due to inflammatory changes, leading to thrombosis; others, such as young people without any underlying conditions, might also experience this, often due to poor lifestyle habits like high stress and lack of sleep among other triggers. Most patients exhibit warning signs, including chest tightness, chest pain, and palpitations – symptoms of heart disease. When these problems occur, it is crucial to promptly visit a hospital for examination to determine if there are issues with the coronary arteries, and if so, to receive timely treatment and intervention.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation effective for sudden cardiac death?

Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation useful for sudden cardiac arrest? Of course, it is useful. The emergency measure for sudden cardiac arrest is to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If the patient receives CPR within four minutes, they are very likely to survive. If there is a delay beyond four minutes, the patient’s life might still be prolonged if resuscitated, but they might suffer brain death and potentially become vegetative. Therefore, it is crucial to administer immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a patient experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, as this is the primary method of resuscitation.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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Can an electrocardiogram be used to check for sudden cardiac death?

Can an electrocardiogram (ECG) detect the potential for sudden cardiac death in the future? Sudden cardiac death cannot be detected by an electrocardiogram. An ECG can only identify conditions such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, or premature beats occurring at the time of the test. Sudden cardiac death is a sudden cardiac event that definitely cannot be predicted by an ECG. There are some risk factors for sudden cardiac death, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and underlying diseases like coronary heart disease, which make individuals more susceptible to sudden cardiac death. We cannot rely on an ECG to predict it.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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Does sudden cardiac death have a relationship with hypertension?

Sudden cardiac death and hypertension are related, with the most common cause of sudden cardiac death being acute myocardial infarction, which leads to malignant arrhythmias, such as ventricular fibrillation, resulting in sudden cardiac death. In addition, severe aortic dissection can also cause sudden cardiac death, and hypertension is often an important cause of coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and aortic dissection. Long-term hypertension can lead to the occurrence of arteriosclerosis, resulting in the formation of arterial plaques or aneurysms, such as those occurring in the coronary arteries, causing coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, or in the aorta, often leading to the formation of aortic aneurysms. When an aortic aneurysm ruptures, it can cause aortic dissection.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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How to self-rescue from sudden cardiac death

Sudden cardiac death is now also a very critical illness often occurring in coronary heart disease. We frequently see news reports of sudden deaths at airports and public places. At such times, self-rescue is extremely difficult. Unless you have a history of coronary heart disease and carry medications with you, if you experience symptoms like chest tightness and shortness of breath, you could take these medications to help yourself. Otherwise, sudden cardiac death occurs abruptly, causing the heart to stop beating within a very short period, and the patient cannot self-rescue.

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Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
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The difference between cardiogenic shock and sudden cardiac death

Cardiogenic shock is caused by a decrease in cardiac contractile function, leading to reduced ejection, lowered blood pressure, and resulting in ischemia and hypoxia of tissue cells. It is due to the reduced contractile function of the heart, which may be caused by coronary issues such as coronary ischemia, or by severe arrhythmias such as severe ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, or by acute heart failure. Cardiogenic sudden death occurs when cardiogenic shock progresses further, leading to the cessation of the heartbeat. The main difference between cardiogenic sudden death and cardiogenic shock is that during cardiogenic sudden death, the heartbeat has definitely stopped completely, or there is only ventricular fibrillation, at which point it is called cardiogenic sudden death. During cardiogenic shock, the heart still retains some contractile function, meaning the heart still has some autonomous beating capability. Compared to cardiogenic sudden death, it is still an early, reversible stage of cardiogenic sudden death. Once it progresses to cardiogenic sudden death, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary, and at this point, the mortality rate greatly increases.