The spectrum of inheritable cardiac disease in sudden cardiac death: investigation and pathology

Sudden cardiac death in young adults is rarely related to ischaemic or hypertensive heart disease but has increasingly been associated with a number of inheritable conditions including cardiomyopathies, channelopathies and storage disorders. Once other potential causes of death have been excluded, a careful consideration must be given to inheritable cardiac conditions through careful macroscopic and microscopic examination of the heart and where necessary supported by investigation of the potential underlying genetic abnormality. A pragmatic approach to the examination of the heart is given together with the potential inheritable causes to be considered. When appropriate, support should be sought from a special interest cardiac pathologist through the UK Cardiac Pathology Network (UKCPN).