Key result
Heart weight was an independent factor associated with sudden cardiac death, but proved to be a poor predictor after normalization (AUC < 0.7).
Why the study?
There is limited postmortem evidence on whether heart weight is an independent factor associated with sudden cardiac death.
Does heart weight predict sudden cardiac death in adults?
Observational (n=108)
Does heart weight predict sudden cardiac death in adults?
Although heart weight is independently associated with sudden cardiac death, it is a poor predictor of the event after normalization.
Caution against using heart weight to predict sudden cardiac death; leaves open whether refined metrics improve risk models in prospective cohorts.
An enlarged heart can cause electrical instability and impaired contractility, leading to fatal arrhythmia and acute heart failure, and is associated with sudden cardiac death. However, there is limited postmortem evidence on whether heart weight is an independent factor associated with sudden cardiac death. This 18-month retrospective study examined 108 adult heart weights in which all the hearts were weighed after dissection, blood and blood clots removed, rinsed in water, and pat dried. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed heart weight was an independent factor associated with sudden cardiac death. However, after normalization, the heart weight was a poor predictor of sudden cardiac death with an area under the curve less than 0.7 in the plotted receiver operating characteristic curve.
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A 2021 study conducted an observational in Sudden cardiac death (n=108). Heart weight was evaluated on Sudden cardiac death. Heart weight was an independent factor associated with sudden cardiac death, but proved to be a poor predictor after normalization (AUC < 0.7).
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