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Plötzlicher Herztod

Ausgewählte rechtsmedizinische Aspekte

Sudden cardiac death

Selected forensic aspects

Der Pathologe Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Zusammenfassung

Der plötzliche Herztod ist eine der häufigsten Ursachen plötzlicher Todesfälle, vor allem bei relativ jungen Menschen. Im forensischen Obduktionsgut kommen plötzliche kardiale Todesfälle vergleichsweise oft vor. In einer Vielzahl dieser Fälle finden sich pathologische Veränderungen am Herzen, die auch den akuten (plötzlichen) Todeseintritt erklären. Dabei handelt es sich keineswegs nur um akute Myokardinfarkte, Koronarthrombosen oder Myokarditiden/Endokarditiden, sondern auch um seltene angeborene Erkrankungen wie Verlaufsanomalien der Koronarien, rhythmogene Todesfälle, direkte oder indirekte Läsionen des kardialen Reizleitungssystems und primäre Herztumoren.

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death is one of the most common causes of death and a significant number of sudden deaths occurs especially in young people. Sudden cardiac death is also frequently represented in forensic autopsy practice. In such cases pathological findings in the heart can often explain the reason for the acute death. These pathological changes include not only myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis and all forms of myocarditis/endocarditis but also rare diseases, such as hereditary structural or arrythmogenic anomalies, lesions of the cardiac conduction system or primary cardiac tumors.

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Bajanowski, T., Püschel, K. & Dettmeyer, R. Plötzlicher Herztod. Pathologe 33, 217–227 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00292-011-1556-6

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