Sudden Death: A Human Catastrophic Event.
Introduction
Few medical and social events are so tragic as the unexpected death of a person in a very short time and normally without any significant sign of alarm. The term “Sudden Death (SD)” describes only the “temporal” aspect of the event, but say nothing about mechanisms or etiology. Cardiac arryhthmias are in the origin of the majority of the deaths, but other less frequent causes are also responsible.
Sudden Death Etiology
There are several situations associated with a situation of an unexpected death, developing one spectrum of different probabilities based on age and gender. A summary explanation is shown in the next table.
Cardiac causes: coronary artery disease, arryhthmias, cardyomiopathys, anatomical heart diseases, electrical disorders, genetic disorders.
Non-cardiac causes:respiratory failure (pulmonary embolism), cerebrovascular events, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, sudden unexpected infant death.
Accidents: traffic, plain, railway.
Social and Psychological Repercussion of a SD
There are special circumstances present after a diagnosis of SD. From the point of view of the patient, he or she can’t say goodbye to the family, and from the other point of view, the family, there is a sense of impotence, incredulity, guilt sometimes, and the proper image of a person, alive and dead a few minutes later, it is in the origin of a traumatic shock.
Life is an unpredictable story, subject to multiple variables and circumstances. Luck is also a part of life itself. After a tragic event like a SD happens inside a family, it is like an earthquake and only strong support with love, psychology and social measures can help to follow the path of healing.
Bibliography
1)Clinical and cost-effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for treatment and prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder in adults:
A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Psychol. 2025;116:1128–1149
Author: Lorenzo Alonso Carrión
Dedicated to the memory of CJC and the victims of accidents.
