1Dammam Forensic Medicine Center, KSA, Email: omadani@hotmail.com.
2Forensic Medicine Center in Dammam, KSA, Email: drmkharoshah@hotmail.com, mklz@hotmail.com.
3Dammam Central Hospital. Email : emsbaess@hotmail.com
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Magdy Abdel Azim Kharosha, Telephone: (0096638155653) Fax: (00966-38155653) E-mail: drmkharoshah@hotmail.com.
Determination of the causes of sudden cardiac death is crucial in any nation. The incidence of occurrence of various cardiac diseases in the various age groups in proportion to negative autopsy cases is also important.
This study involved all autopsies performed at Forensic Medicine Center in Dammam, in four years, from January 2002 to December 2005, and involved 480 autopsies performed. Of these cases, 308 cases (64.1%) were in people aged 40 years or younger. 117 deaths (37.9%) were classified as sudden cardiac deaths. Confirmed coronary artery disease was identified in 34.1% of the cases while 15.3% were diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The cause of sudden death in this group was not established in 50.4% of the cases and considered as negative autopsies, even though with meticulous antemortem data recovery, complete autopsy procedures, toxicological and histopathological studies.
This study raises the possibility of sudden primary arrythmogenic causes in these unexplained deaths with structurally normal hearts, and calls for genetic family counseling for deceased's relatives.
cardiac death, coronary disease, cardiomyopathy, Dammam
