Can cardiogenic sudden death cause vomiting?

Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
Updated on December 27, 2024
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Sudden cardiac death is commonly seen in three scenarios. The first scenario involves severe arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or cardiac arrest, which do not cause vomiting. The second scenario is due to severe valvular dysfunction caused by acute myocardial infarction or valvular disease, which also generally does not cause vomiting. The third scenario concerns patients with severe cardiac diseases who have mural thrombi in their hearts. If a thrombus detaches, it can lead to fatal systemic embolism. For instance, if the thrombus travels to the cerebral arteries, it can cause cerebellar or cerebral artery occlusion, leading to brain herniation. This may result in symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, and limb dysfunction. If it travels to the mesenteric artery, it can cause gastrointestinal pain and result in vomiting. Therefore, some cases of sudden cardiac death may cause vomiting.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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What does sudden cardiac death mean?

Sudden cardiac death refers to the sudden mortality caused by heart diseases, and the reasons for sudden cardiac death primarily include the following aspects: First, structural heart diseases, such as coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction; acute myocardial infarction is currently the most common cause of sudden cardiac death. Second, certain ion channel diseases, such as Brugada syndrome, or long QT syndrome. These types of ion channel diseases often coincide with malignant ventricular arrhythmias, such as torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, thus leading to the occurrence of these fatal phenomena. Third, severe arrhythmias, such as severe bradycardia or ventricular tachycardia related to structural heart disease, often trigger malignant ventricular arrhythmias, leading to death.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Does sudden cardiac death relate to coronary heart disease?

Some studies suggest that 70% of sudden cardiac deaths are caused by arrhythmias. Most of these arrhythmia-induced sudden deaths are associated with coronary artery atherosclerosis. Some are caused by acute myocardial infarction leading to sudden cardiac death. These are all caused by coronary heart disease. Therefore, sudden cardiac death is related to coronary heart disease. Thus, if coronary heart disease is suspected in a patient, it is crucial to perform early examinations and treatments to prevent the occurrence of myocardial infarction. Typical symptoms of coronary heart disease include intermittent chest tightness and chest pain, which can improve after a few minutes, and should therefore be taken seriously.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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Does cardiogenic sudden death cause vomiting blood?

Of course, sudden cardiac death is now a very common cause of death. At places like airports and bus stations, we often see reports of such incidents, and many young people are also affected. However, patients experiencing sudden cardiac death generally do not present with symptoms of vomiting blood, as it is caused by cardiac arrest. Vomiting blood is usually associated with conditions such as gastric ulcers leading to severe bleeding, gastric cancer, or cirrhosis leading to rupture of varicose veins at the base of the stomach. The likelihood of vomiting blood occurring in cases of sudden cardiac death is very low, almost nonexistent.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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The difference between cardiogenic sudden death and cerebrogenic sudden death.

The concept of sudden cardiac death exists, but there doesn't seem to be an equivalent term for "sudden brain death." For instance, if a large cerebral hemorrhage occurs and the patient dies within a very short time, this is referred to as death due to cerebral hemorrhage, not sudden death. Sudden death is characterized by death occurring unexpectedly within just a few minutes. The main difference between these, I think, is time. Sudden cardiac death happens very quickly and unexpectedly, which is why it's termed sudden death. In the case of brain-related issues, such as a significant cerebral hemorrhage, especially in the brainstem, it can compress the vital centers, leading to rapid respiratory and circulatory failure, and eventually death. Compared to sudden cardiac death, there is a slight delay in brain-related deaths; they don't occur as swiftly, and I believe the major difference lies in the timing.

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Written by Chen Guang Yin
Cardiology
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How to Self-Check for Precursors of Cardiogenic Sudden Death

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.