Report on Cardiac Gross Pathological Measurements of Sudden Cardiac Death in Adults

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze the gross pathological data of sudden cardiac death （SCD） with different causes, to provide data support for the identification of sudden cardiac death with unknown causes.MethodsA total of 167 adult SCD cases in the archive of the Forensic Expertise Institute of Nanjing Medical University from 2010 to 2020 were collected. The gross pathological data of SCD cases were summarized and the characteristics of different causes of death were statistically analyzed.ResultsThe ratio of male to female SCD cases was 3.4∶1. Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of SCD， and mainly distributed in people over 40 years old. SCD caused by myocarditis was mainly distributed in young people and the mean age of death was （34.00±9.55） years. By analyzing the differences in cardiac pathological parameters of SCD with different causes, it was found that the aortic valve circumference was significantly dilated in the SCD caused by aortic aneurysm or dissection （P<0.05）. The heart weight of SCD caused by aortic aneurysm or dissection and combined factors was greater, and both pulmonary and tricuspid valvular rings were dilated in the SCD caused by combined factors in adult males （P<0.05）.ConclusionVarious gross pathological measures of SCD with different causes are different, which has reference value in the cause of death identification of SCD.

Keywords

• forensic pathology
• sudden cardiac death
• cause of death
• coronary atherosclerotic heart disease
• aortic aneurysm
• aortic dissection