Sudden cardiac death causes
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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In a patient with sudden death, a thorough evaluation of potential causes is essential to exclude preventable causes of recurrence.
Complete Differential Diagnosis for Sudden Cardiac Death
- Acute aortic insufficiency
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Aortic dissection
- Aortic stenosis
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
- Brugada syndrome
- Cardiac tamponade
- Cardiomyopathy
- Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
- Commotio cordis
- Complete heart block
- Congenital heart disease
- Congestive heart failure
- Coronary artery disease
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome
- Kugel-Stoloff syndrome
- Long QT syndrome, both congenital and acquired
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Myocarditis
- Naxos disease
- Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy
- Papillary muscle rupture
- Prolonged Q-T Interval Syndrome
- Pulmonary embolism
- Romano-Ward syndrome
- Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Sick sinus syndrome
- ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
- Stokes-Adams Syndrome
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Timothy syndrome
- Uhl anomaly
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Ventricular rupture
- Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome with rapid conduction
Complete Differential Diagnosis for Sudden Non-Cardiac Death
- 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, type 1
- Alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase deficiency
- Amniotic fluid syndrome
- Arterial dissections with lentiginosis
- Anaphylaxis
- Aneurysm
- Apoplexy
- Appendicitis
- Asphyxia
- Birth injury
- Bleeding excessive
- Childbirth hemorrhage
- Diabetic ketoacidosis - typically from undiagnosed diabetes
- Drug allergy
- Drug overdose
- Encephalitis
- Fetal death
- Flu mainly in the elderly, infants, infirm or chronically ill
- Food allergy
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Homicide
- Hyperbilirubinemia transient, familial, neonatal
- Hypercalcemia
- Hypercapnia
- Hyperkalemia
- Hypokalemia
- Hypoxia
- Injury
- Insect bite
- Intracranial hemmorhage
- Marfan syndrome
- Meningitis
- Meningococcal disease
- Motor Vehicle accident
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Neurocysticercosis
- Opioid overdose
- Oxycontin overdose
- Pain killer overdose
- Pickwickian Syndrome
- Poisoning
- Pulmonary embolism
- Retroperitoneal bleed
- Sepsis syndrome
- Shock
- Sleep apnea
- Snake bite
- Status asthmaticus
- Stillbirth
- Stroke
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Suicide
- Sleeping pill overdose
- Toxic/metabolic disturbances
- Tranquilizer addiction
- Tension pneumothorax
- Toxic/metabolic disturbances
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Transfusion reaction
- Venom
Complete Differential Diagnosis of the Causes of Sudden Death Including Sudden Cardiac Death
Complete Differential Diagnosis of the Causes of Sudden Death Including Sudden Cardiac Death
(By organ system)
Cardiovascular |
Amyloid cardiopathy, Congestive heart failure, Ventricular rupture, |
* Ischemic |
Hypoxia, Coronary thrombosis, Coronary vasospasm, Coronary artery aneurysm, Prinzmetal's variant angina , |
* Pericardial | |
* Myocardial |
Asymmetric septal hypertrophy , ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Giant cell myocarditis , Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Kugel-Stoloff syndrome , Myocardial infarction, Myocarditis, Rupture of the papillary muscles, |
* Endocardial/Valvular | |
* Conduction/Arrhythmia |
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, Brugada syndrome, Complete atrioventricular block, Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome, Prolonged Q-T Interval Syndrome, Multifocal ventricular premature beats , Naxos disease , Romano-Ward syndrome , Sick sinus syndrome, Short QT syndrome , Sinus node disease, Stokes-Adams Syndrome, Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome, Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, |
* Vascular |
Acute aortic insufficiency, Acute coronary syndrome, Aortic dissection, Aortic stenosis, Aorto-ventricular tunnel, Arteritis, Coronary artery disease, Coronary arteries - congenital malformation , Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, |
Congenital/Developmental |
Congenital heart disease, Congenital heart block , Congenital Long QT syndrome, Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Uhl anomaly |
Chemical / poisoning | |
Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
Drug Side Effect | |
Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
Endocrine |
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, Diabetic ketoacidosis - typically from undiagnosed diabetes, Thyrotoxicosis, |
Environmental | Hypothermia, |
Gastroenterologic |
Appendicitis, Gastrointestinal bleeding, Retroperitoneal bleed, |
Genetic |
Brugada syndrome, 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, type 1, Familial dilated cardiomyopathy , Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 1, Hyperbilirubinemia transient, familial neonatal, Marfan syndrome , Timothy syndrome |
Hematologic | No underlying causes |
Iatrogenic | Transfusion reaction |
Infectious Disease |
Flu mainly in the elderly, infants, infirm or chronically ill, Neurocysticercosis |
Musculoskeletal / Ortho | No underlying causes |
Neurologic |
Apoplexy, Encephalitis, Intracranial hemmorhage, Meningitis, Stroke, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, |
Nutritional / Metabolic |
3-methylglutaconic aciduria, type 1, Alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase deficiency , Food allergy |
Obstetric/Gynecologic |
Amniotic fluid syndrome , Childbirth hemorrhage, |
Oncologic |
Atrial myxoma, familial |
Opthalmologic | No underlying causes |
Overdose / Toxicity |
Opioid overdose , Oxycontin overdose, Pain killer overdose , Sleeping pill overdose |
Psychiatric | No underlying causes |
Pulmonary |
Hypercapnia, Pickwickian Syndrome, Pulmonary embolism, Tension pneumothorax, Status asthmaticus |
Renal / Electrolyte | |
Rheum / Immune / Allergy | |
Sexual | No underlying causes |
Trauma |
Commotio cordis, Homicide, Motor Vehicle accident |
Urologic | No underlying causes |
Miscellaneous |