Left
ventricular hypertrophy is the second leading cause of sudden cardiac death in
the adult in autopsy
- Longstanding high
blood pressure causes secondary damage to the wall of the main pumping
chamber of the heart, the left ventricle. Hypertrophy is associated with
cardiac arrhythmias.
- The mechanism of
death in a majority of patients dying of sudden cardiac death is
ventricular fibrillation and as a consequence there may be no prodromal
symptoms associated with the death.
- These patients
may be going about their daily business and suddenly collapse without the
typical features of myocardial infarction such as chest pain and shortness
of breath. There are a number of cases in which patients feel the effect
of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia is associated with referred
pain, classically to the front of the chest, the left arm and the jaw.
Patients may feel generally unwell, with nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
- These symptoms
may precede the death for any length of time between a few minutes and
several hours.
- I have conducted
the postmortem examination of four cases of left ventricular hypertrophy
causing sudden death. These cases were found dead in the bathroom during
their daily pursuits.
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