RT Book, Section A1 Waks, Jonathan W. A1 Josephson, Mark E. A2 Fuster, Valentin A2 Harrington, Robert A. A2 Narula, Jagat A2 Eapen, Zubin J. SR Print(0) ID 1161719838 T1 SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH T2 Hurst's The Heart, 14e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071843249 LK accesscardiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1161719838 RD 2024/03/29 AB Sudden cardiac death (SCD) describes an unexpected natural death resulting from a cardiac cause within a short time period after the onset of symptoms in a person without a prior condition that would appear imminently fatal. It is most often caused by a sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia [VT] and ventricular fibrillation [VF]). Although many cardiovascular disorders increase the risk of SCD, the presence of preexisting cardiovascular disease is not necessary, and SCD may be the first manifestation of overt cardiac disease.1,2 Prodromal symptoms, such as palpitations, chest pain, or dyspnea, may suggest a cardiovascular etiology such as arrhythmia, ischemia, or congestive heart failure, but are not specific.