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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
1995-5-15
pubmed:abstractText
Unexpected sudden death is a common event in otherwise healthy epileptics, though its etiology has remained unclear. Many authors have suggested cardiac arrhythmias as the cause, and limited data in humans and animal studies have supported this. However, autopsy series in humans have shown pulmonary edema, a phenomenon not compatible with a sudden arrhythmic death, as a possible cause. We developed a model of status epilepticus in unanesthetized, chronically instrumented sheep in which sudden death and pulmonary edema occur. Catecholamine levels and seizure type and duration did not differ between animals dying suddenly and those surviving. Benign arrhythmias were generated in all animals; in no case did an arrhythmia account for the death of an animal. Striking hypoventilation was demonstrated in the sudden death group but not in the surviving animals. Differences in peak left atrial and pulmonary artery pressures, and in extravascular lung water were also demonstrated; pulmonary edema did not account for the demise of the sudden death animals. Thus, our model of epileptic sudden death supports a role of central hypoventilation in the etiology of sudden unexpected death and confirms the association with pulmonary edema. The importance of arrhythmia in its pathogenesis is not confirmed.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0364-5134
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
37
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
531-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1995
pubmed:articleTitle
The role of hypoventilation in a sheep model of epileptic sudden death.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.