February 08, 2021
Healed myocardial infarction is common among people who suffer sudden death, far outnumbering acute MI, Norwegian autopsy data show. This distribution pattern is most apparent in men.
“It was not a surprise for us that myocardial infarcts explained a large proportion of sudden and unexpected deaths [43%], but it was a surprise that the proportion of healed infarcts (75% to 80%) was much higher than acute ones both in men and women,” lead author Bjørn O. Mæhle, MD, PhD (Gade Laboratory for Pathology, University of Bergen, Norway), writing on behalf of the team, told TCTMD via email.
Sumeet S. Chugh, MD (Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA), said the study adds incremental support to what’s known about the causes of cardiac arrest and sudden death. “It’s good to get autopsy data,” he agreed.