Social Determinants of Sudden Cardiac Death

Mortality statistics list cardiovascular disease as the most frequent cause of death worldwide, and as often as not, cardiac death occurs suddenly. On any given day, up to 1000 persons in the United States may die suddenly from a cardiac arrest. Attempts to identify inherited, clinical, or iatrogenic risk factors for sudden cardiac death, coupled with evidence-based treatments, have increasingly benefited persons who have survived a sudden cardiac arrest or are at high risk for sudden cardiac death.