Glossary/Arrhythmia

Sudden Cardiac Death.

Unexpected death caused by sudden loss of heart function, usually due to ventricular fibrillation. Different from a heart attack, which is a blockage of blood flow. Survival depends on immediate CPR and defibrillation.

Definition

What is sudden cardiac death?

Unexpected death caused by sudden loss of heart function, usually due to ventricular fibrillation. Different from a heart attack, which is a blockage of blood flow. Survival depends on immediate CPR and defibrillation.

Related Terms

Related glossary terms.

Ventricular Fibrillation
A chaotic, disorganized electrical activity in the ventricles that causes the heart to quiver ins...
ICD
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator. A device similar to a pacemaker that can also detect and ...
Cardiac Arrest
The sudden cessation of effective heart pumping, leading to loss of consciousness and death withi...
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
A genetic condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the ...
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