Hernández OM, Padrón MM, Hernández JA

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 242-248
PDF size: 676.09 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains an important public health problem considering its incidence rates and demographic data.
Objective: To characterize patients who died from SCD who underwent autopsy.
Method: A descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study was carried out in 83 patients who died owing to SCD in the emergency department and the area assisted by the «Hospital General Docente Aleida Fernández Chardiet», who underwent autopsy between the years 2014-2015. Contingency tables were made to identify statistically significant differences between the categories of some of the studied variables, and the Chi square statistical test showed a confidence level value of 95% (p=0.05).
Results: Average age was 65.36 years. 63.9% of the victims were male, and 66.3% white. Fifty-three percent of patients died from acute coronary syndrome; the most frequent cardiovascular risk factor was high blood pressure, up to 57.8% of cases. 61.4% died in the emergency department and were given resuscitation maneuvers. 19.3% died in the month of May and 34.9% between 06:00-11:59 hours.
Conclusions: Acute coronary syndrome was the most frequent cause of SCD while high blood pressure represented the commonest cardiovascular risk factor. Most of the patients died in the emergency department.