Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG; recording of electrical activity of the heart muscle) [Prolonged QT interval equals risk factor for sudden cardiac death; caveat: QT-prolonging medications]
- Point-of-care ultrasonography – patients with cardiac arrest to assess prognosis [little agreement on sonographic assessment of cardiac arrest].
- Echocardiography (echo; cardiac ultrasound) – for suspected structural heart disease.
- X-ray of the thorax (X-ray thorax / chest), in two planes.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Abdominal ultrasonography (ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs) – for basic diagnostics.
- Computed tomography of the thorax/chest (thoracic CT) – for advanced diagnostics.
Further notes
- In one study, the ECG preceding sudden cardiac death showed abnormal findings in almost all affected individuals (78%). The most common ECG findings were sinus tachycardia (39%), negative T wave (30%), and prolonged QT interval (26%).
- Directly admitting patients resuscitated after cardiac arrest without ST-segment elevation on ECG to early cardiac catheterization compared with later invasive workup showed no difference in 30-day mortality (death rate). In contrast, significant predictors of 30-day mortality were shown to be existing medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus or chronic renal insufficiency, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) history (medical history), and serum lactate level.
