Sudden death concept:It refers to a sudden, unexpected clinical death due to an underlying disease of the body or acute dysfunction of vital organs. The patient’s heartbeat and respiration have stopped, but have not reached brain death and may be reversed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Epidemiology: About 400,000~500,000 people die from sudden death in the United States every year, almost one person dies suddenly every minute on average. According to current statistics, the number of sudden deaths in China is “about 1 million” per year.
Analysis of the causes of sudden death in adults.
Coronary heart disease: heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia, etc.
Cerebrovascular accidents
Sudden accidents: such as electric shock, drowning, self-hanging, severe trauma
Severe acidosis, hyperkalemia, hypokalemia
Shock and poisoning from various causes
Analysis of causes of sudden death in children:
Laryngospasm, laryngeal obstruction, tracheal foreign body, gastroesophageal reflux, severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, drugs, severe cardiac arrhythmia, poisoning, metabolic diseases, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, various accidental injuries, etc.
Determination of sudden death
Sudden loss of consciousness with convulsions, no response to stimulation, mostly occurs within 10 seconds after cardiac arrest;
The large arteries, such as carotid and femoral arteries, disappear and the blood pressure cannot be measured;
Breathing is sigh-like and then stops, with no heaving of the chest wall and no airflow from the mouth or nose;
The heart sounds disappear; the face is cyanotic and pale;
The pupils are dilated and the response to light is dull or absent, mostly after 30-60 seconds of cardiac arrest.
The process of sudden death
The patient feels dizzy when the heartbeat stops for 3s;
Fainting or convulsions can occur in 10s to 20s;
After 60s, the pupils are dilated and breathing may stop at the same time;
Irreversible damage to brain cells may occur after 4 to 6 min.
Before “sudden death” eventually becomes biological death, it is important to perform CPR correctly and quickly to give the sudden death victim time and opportunity to receive further treatment!