Medical History

It is vital that a clear history of the victim and his or her death is established using the family's and friends' recollections as well as the reports of the coroner, the pathologist, the general practitioner and the police.

Your doctor may ask you if you have ever had symptoms such as blackouts or palpitations. These symptoms may suggest underlying heart disease.

Medical Examination.

A medical examination may help to discover if there is an inheritable structural heart disease in the family.

Your doctor may suggest at this stage that you have further tests.

The following is a summary of the tests that may be necessary. A more detailed explanation will be found in the booklet “When a young person dies suddenly” produced by C R Y in the United Kingdom.

Copies of the booklet can also be obtained free of charge from C.R.Y. at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or can be downloaded from www.sads.org.uk.

Most of these tests are non invasive. Not all of them will necessarily be conducted as the assessment at some stage may indicate that further tests are not necessary.

The following is a summary of the tests some of which or all of which your doctor may advise you to undergo.

ECG (Electrocardiogram)(Non-invasive). This is the most basic test and it involves taping electrical leads to your legs, arms and chest to take readings of the electrical activity of your heart. These are printed out onto a piece of paper for the doctor to examine.

Eco Cardiogram (also called ‘Echo’) (Non invasive). This test uses ultrasound waves to look at the structure of the heart. It is useful for people whose ECG shows changes that could be caused either by uninherited heart disease that has damaged the heart (for example a previous heart attack that a person may not have been aware of.) It can also detect inheritable conditions.

Exercise Test (also called an Exercise ECG) (Non invasive). This test is the same as the ECG described earlier but it is recorded before, during and after a period of time spent exercising on a treadmill or an exercise bike. This allows the doctor to examine any changes in the electrical patterns that occur with exercise, and analyse any abnormalities.

Holter - (Non invasive). The holter is a recording device that comes in two different forms. One is a small portable tape recorder like a walkman. The other is a small digital device the shape of a pager. This device is worn on a belt around your waist. Four or six ECG leads from the device are taped to your chest. It records the electrical activity of your heart for twenty four to forty eight hours or up to seven days if a digital is used. The doctor can then analyse the electrical activity and the rhythm of your heart to find out if you have any arrhythmias. There are other more sophisticated tests that may arise depending upon the assessment and these are described in detail in the booklet “When a young person dies suddenly”.

A detailed explanation of these tests will be found in the booklet "When a young person dies suddenly" produced by CRY in the UK. Copies of this booklet can be obtained free of charge by contacting CRY at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or it can be downloaded directly from CRY UK web site at www.sads.org.uk.