Let's talk about Sudden Adult Death Syndrome aka SADS

Mollikins · 21-03-2012 01:18PM

syklops wrote: »

<Unpopular post of the day>

First off, I am very sorry for all the people who have lost people suddenly. I have lost 2 people recently suddenly, but I have a problem with the name SADS, or Sudden adult death syndrome. It is far too vague a name to be considered a syndrome and therefore IMO, a waste of time and money trying to prevent.

By all means everyone should get CPR and first aid training, absolutely. However I think people second guessing themselves with such vague information is dangerous.

Just because your understanding of SADS is limited doesn’t mean that it isn’t a legitimate syndrome. To say such a thing is disrespecting the memory of those who have died because of SADS and insulting and hurtful for those left behind. It is thought that in Ireland, 2 people a week die because of SADS. I’m not saying that every one of those people can be saved but if more people were to be screened, if defibrillators were more readily available and if more people knew CPR then there is a possibility that some of those deaths could be prevented. Just because not a lot is known about SADS currently doesn’t mean that it is not something that is not worth researching and investigating. If everyone had the same attitude as you then there would be little or no advancements in medicine.

syklops wrote: »

Its vague in that while you used the correct term, most people including the OP call it Sudden adult death syndrome. The result of this is the sudden death of any adult, gets automatically attributed to this syndrome making it seem much more common than it is.

If you had bothered to read the thread properly you would have seen that at the beginning of my second post I mentioned that it is also known as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. I declined to mention this in the OP because those who are actually aware of SADS (and haven’t confused it with Seasonal Affective Disorder) know it as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. I and many other members of my family have seen many doctors over the years and almost all have used the term Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and only occasionally the term Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. 6 sets of parents who lost sons and daughters to SADS refer to it as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in this open letter: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/living-timebomb-3043798.html. If you were to do a Google search you would find far more results for Sudden Adult Death Syndrome simply because Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome is a more modern term, which as I mentioned in my second post, was introduced so that the deaths of children from SADS were also accounted for.

Well forgive me, but I have 2 friends who died recently and it was not due to heart rhythm, meanwhile I have 2 members of my family who did develop heart rhythm poroblems but lived to tell the tale. Additionally if someone had said, "feck it, they're going to die anyway because its sudden adult death synfrome" and used the defib on them they probably would have died as a result.

I’m sorry to hear you lost loved ones recently but since you say it wasn’t heart related then I fail to see its relevancy in this thread. I’m not trying to be smart saying that but by your own admission their deaths weren’t caused by heart problems so I am confused as to why you are mentioning it here. It isn’t the role of a First Aider to diagnose a casualty. Similarly, a First Aider is not going to send for and attempt to use an AED on a casualty if it isn’t necessary. It has already been pointed out numerous times in this thread that a defibrillator will analyse the casualties heart rhythm and will only advise shocking the person if necessary. Using a defibrillator will not kill a casualty, as technically they are already dead and if used correctly will also not harm a bystander i.e. making sure that no one is touching the casualty when administering the shock.

I'm all for education and awareness, but I just want people to use the correct terminology. As for whether there should be more, easy access to defibrillators, absolutely, yes, but there should also be training available for when to use them and when not to use them.

Sorry if I sounded cynical, but in the opening post and in the title, the incorrect term was used, and it used 2 people as examples of why its so bad, who did not die. Also a few posts down was some incorrect information about defibrillator use gleaned from a TV program.

I presume the 2 people you are referring to are Seaghan Kearney and Fabrice Muamba. In the video I linked to, Seaghan Kearney described himself as a Sudden Adult Death Syndrome survivor. His words, not mine. I posted about Fabrice Muamba’s awful situation as it has thrown the issue of SADS into the limelight. As a professional footballer he was apparently required to undergo heart check-ups every 6 months and to our knowledge no problems were discovered as a result of these check-ups. It is possible that he developed a heart problem since his last check-up. SADS is an umbrella term, applied to situations where the deceased suffered a cardiac arrest and no specific heart condition can be diagnosed upon completion of the post-mortem. Sometimes no specific heart condition can be diagnosed because due to the nature of the heart condition, the heart needs to be beating and its electrical impulses analysed in order for a diagnosis to be made. There is more information in this link as regards the causes of SADS: http://www.materfoundation.ie/causes-of-sads.html. Also, as I have mentioned previously, sometimes ECGs don’t pick up on heart conditions. This was the case for a relative of mine. It was only upon further testing that a heart condition was detected and she now has a pacemaker fitted.

A TV programme was mentioned because posters are trying to increase their understanding of the use of defibrillators. Asking questions is what this thread is for. 80+ people have read or at least partially read the OP and perhaps clicked on some of the links I posted. One of the purposes of this thread is to raise awareness and if those who have read the OP have gained even a small bit of knowledge about SADS then I feel the thread has been successful.

Dolbert · 21-03-2012 02:07PM

Great thread Mollikins. It's such a frightening concept. When my brother was around 15, he was walking back to school with a group of friends when one of them just collapsed without warning. This kid had no apparent health problems and was laughing and joking moments earlier. Luckily it happened just outside the local clinic, which had a defibrilator and he was revived. If it had happened somewhere else he could well have dropped dead that day.

syklops · 21-03-2012 02:19PM

I am sorry if my commments offended you they were not intended to do so.

Since I wrote that post I have done some reading and educated myself a bit more on the subject. I am now better aware of the safety features of defibrillators.

However, I still say it should be known by the more accurate name of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.

Again, I apologise for any hurt felt by my comments.

prinzeugen · 09-09-2017 12:39AM

Mollikins wrote: »

I have changed the thread title to avoid any further confusion with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I should also point out that the acronym SADS is more commonly denoted as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome but in more recent times I have heard/read it being referred to as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome which takes into account children who die due to an undetected heart condition.

I don’t know where you’ve heard that but afaik that isn’t true. I have no idea how many shocks an AED can hold enough charge for, but as far as I’m aware there is no limit as to how many times a person can be shocked. Maybe someone working in the medical field can shed some light on this matter. As Groundhurling said already, the machine will analyse the casualties heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if the casualty needs it. So there is no way someone who has a viable pulse can be shocked. The only real risk involved in using a defibrillator is in making sure no one is in contact with the casualty as you are about to press the button to deliver the shock. Every single defibrillator in this country is under lock and key and those with access to it are well versed on making sure the area is clear when treating someone so as not to end up with 2 casualties.

This link from the Mater website explains the tests fairly well: http://www.materfoundation.ie/what-happens.html. As mentioned in my previous post, sometimes heart conditions don’t show up on ECGs. Some conditions, unfortunately, are only diagnosed when the person has died

through testing of the heart tissue and testing of immediate family
members. Genetic testing is also being used more nowadays, especially for Long QT Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome. (More info regarding the types of conditions included in SADS here: http://www.materfoundation.ie/causes-of-sads.html. Unless there is cause for in-depth testing, such as family history or a person displaying worrying symptoms such as fainting
spells or palpitations then it’s unlikely you will undergo anything more than an ECG. If you’re worried about your own health or a loved one’s health your best bet is to go to your GP first where you will be referred onwards.

I don’t think you can but then again Seaghan Kearney has described himself in the above video as a survivor of SADS so perhaps you can. However if Muamba had collapsed at home I doubt he would have received the appropriate care so quickly and if he had passed away (please God he won’t) it would have probably been classed as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome as, to our knowledge, he hasn’t experienced any heart problems prior to Saturday. It sounds awful since millions of people saw it unfold on TV, but it probably happened to him in the best place possible. If it had happened anywhere else it’s unlikely a defibrillator or medics trained in CPR would have been nearby and able to attend to him so quickly and every second counts in a situation like that. The chances of survival decrease by 7-10% for every minute that passes after a person collapses when there is no CPR or defibrillation. So yes I mentioned Fabrice Muamba and Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in the same post simply because what happened him has reminded an awful lot of people about the condition. I really hope that none of this applies to him and that he makes a full recovery. He is only 23, got engaged just last month and has a 3 year old son. His whole life should be ahead of him and I really hope the next bit of news I hear about him is good news.

I posted about people learning CPR and AEDs being more readily available because SADS has affected my family. Of course cardiac arrest occurs in many more routine situations than people dying from SADS but honestly, people are more likely to care about young, seemingly fit and healthy people just dropping dead than an elderly person suffering a heart attack. I hope that doesn’t sound callous because I don’t intend it to be, but young people with no health problems suddenly dying is a more emotive topic than a more routine situation like a heart attack and people are more likely to try to obtain an AED for their area for this reason.

That’s a great idea. I’m not sure of the logistics of it all but fair play to ya for thinking of it and making the effort.
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I can understand people not wanting to jump in and give a stranger CPR but there is also hands only CPR as demonstrated below by Vinnie Jones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILxjxfB4zNk

The reasoning behind it all is that people may not administer the rescue breaths properly (such as not tilting the head back enough or checking that the airway is free) and that interrupting the chest compressions to do so would result in a more negative outcome than if you were to continuously administer chest compressions as there is still oxygen remaining in the blood and lungs. There is more information in the FAQs in this link: http://handsonlycpr.org/faqs

Keep posting and shared. A workmate lost someone. Help, And stay alive.

Let's talk about Sudden Adult Death Syndrome aka SADS

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