Understanding Sudden Death February 26, 1997

Understanding Sudden Death February 26, 1997

A three-year follow-up survey conducted by Beijing China-Japan Friendship Hospital on families revealed that sudden cardiac death accounts for 29.0% of all coronary heart disease deaths, while cerebrovascular sudden death accounts for 7.9% of cerebrovascular disease fatalities. Thus, the incidence of sudden cardiac death is four times higher than that of cerebrovascular sudden death. Among the risk factors for sudden cardiac death, hypertension, obesity, and smoking are the three major culprits. Whether or not there is a myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death remains common; arrhythmia is the most frequent cause of infarction. Repeated myocardial infarctions can be managed with anticoagulant therapy, such as heparin, urokinase, and trypsinogen. For rescuing patients experiencing sudden cardiac death, it is advisable to use a triple-action emergency injection, often consisting of one ampule each of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isoprenaline, administered intravenously; alternatively, one ampule each of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and lidocaine can be injected directly into the heart.