European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on April 17, 2008
European Heart Journal 2008 29(11):1418-1423; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn155
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Multiple source surveillance incidence and aetiology of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death in a rural population in the West of Ireland
1 Department of Cardiology, University College Hospital, Galway and National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
2 Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Galway and National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
3 ISAR Centre, Deutsches Herzzentrum München, Lazarettstrasse 36, D-80636 Munich, Germany
Received 14 November 2007; revised 13 March 2008; accepted 20 March 2008; online publish-ahead-of-print 17 April 2008.
* Corresponding author. Tel: +49 89 1218 1538, Fax: +49 89 1218 1539, Email: byrne{at}dhm.mhn.de; robebyrne{at}hotmail.com
Aims: There is a paucity of published data on prospectively identified rates of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death (SCD). We sought to determine the incidence, survival and aetiology of out-of-hospital SCD in the West of Ireland for the year 2005.
Methods and results: Data from emergency room resuscitation records were collected throughout the year from all hospitals in the West of Ireland and recorded according to pre-specified criteria. Hospital records of survivors were analysed. Simultaneously, autopsy reports from all pathology laboratories in the region were systematically reviewed and cases of SCD identified. Cardiac arrest associated with non-cardiac pathology was excluded. The population base was 414 277. There were 212 recorded cases of out-of-hospital SCD; 160 (75.5%) were male and the mean age was 63.3 years. The incidence rate was 51.2/100 000/year. The most common aetiology was coronary artery disease (161 cases; 75.9%). The majority of cases occurred in the home (152, 71.7%). Thirteen (6.1%) patients survived to admission of whom eight (3.8%) were alive at discharge. All survivors had ventricular fibrillation as the presenting rhythm.
Conclusion: The burden of SCD in the West of Ireland is considerable. The vast majority of cases occur in the home. Survival rates in this rural population cohort remain low.
Key Words: Sudden cardiac death • Resuscitation • Survival