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Guidelines for autopsy investigation of sudden cardiac death: 2017 update from the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology.

Basso, C; Aguilera, B; Banner, J; Cohle, S; d'Amati, G; de Gouveia, RH; di Gioia, C; Fabre, A; Gallagher, PJ; Leone, O; et al. Basso, C; Aguilera, B; Banner, J; Cohle, S; d'Amati, G; de Gouveia, RH; di Gioia, C; Fabre, A; Gallagher, PJ; Leone, O; Lucena, J; Mitrofanova, L; Molina, P; Parsons, S; Rizzo, S; Sheppard, MN; Mier, MPS; Kim Suvarna, S; Thiene, G; van der Wal, A; Vink, A; Michaud, K; Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology (2017) Guidelines for autopsy investigation of sudden cardiac death: 2017 update from the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology. Virchows Arch, 471 (6). pp. 691-705. ISSN 1432-2307 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-017-2221-0
SGUL Authors: Sheppard, Mary Noelle

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Abstract

Although sudden cardiac death (SCD) is one of the most important modes of death in Western countries, pathologists and public health physicians have not given this problem the attention it deserves. New methods of preventing potentially fatal arrhythmias have been developed and the accurate diagnosis of the causes of SCD is now of particular importance. Pathologists are responsible for determining the precise cause and mechanism of sudden death but there is still considerable variation in the way in which they approach this increasingly complex task. The Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology has developed these guidelines, which represent the minimum standard that is required in the routine autopsy practice for the adequate investigation of SCD. The present version is an update of our original article, published 10 years ago. This is necessary because of our increased understanding of the genetics of cardiovascular diseases, the availability of new diagnostic methods, and the experience we have gained from the routine use of the original guidelines. The updated guidelines include a detailed protocol for the examination of the heart and recommendations for the selection of histological blocks and appropriate material for toxicology, microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular investigation. Our recommendations apply to university medical centers, regionals hospitals, and all healthcare professionals practicing pathology and forensic medicine. We believe that their adoption throughout Europe will improve the standards of autopsy practice, allow meaningful comparisons between different communities and regions, and permit the identification of emerging patterns of diseases causing SCD. Finally, we recommend the development of regional multidisciplinary networks of cardiologists, geneticists, and pathologists. Their role will be to facilitate the identification of index cases with a genetic basis, to screen appropriate family members, and ensure that appropriate preventive strategies are implemented.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © The Author(s) 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Keywords: Autopsy, Guidelines, Protocol, Sudden cardiac death, Pathology, 1103 Clinical Sciences
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS) > Cardiac (INCCCA)
Journal or Publication Title: Virchows Arch
ISSN: 1432-2307
Language: eng
Dates:
DateEvent
December 2017Published
9 September 2017Published Online
13 August 2017Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
PubMed ID: 28889247
Go to PubMed abstract
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/109175
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-017-2221-0

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