Jerry Falwell Dies at 73

The Rev. Jerry Falwell has died at age 73 after being found unconscious in his office and rushed to a hospital, media reports say.

At a news conference, Carl Moore, MD, of Lynchburg General Hospital told reporters that Falwell had a history of congestive heart failure and may have died from sudden cardiac death.

Sudden cardiac death is a sudden, unexpected death caused by loss of heart function. It is the largest cause of natural death in the U.S., causing about 325,000 adult deaths in the U.S. each year.

How Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Different From a Heart Attack?

Sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. Heart attacks occur when there is a blockage in one or more of the arteries to the heart, preventing the heart from receiving enough oxygen-rich blood. If the oxygen in the blood cannot reach the heart muscle, the heart becomes damaged.

In contrast, sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the electrical system to the heart malfunctions and suddenly becomes very irregular. The heart can beat so fast that it quivers (a heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation) and the heart is not able to deliver blood to the body.

Sudden cardiac arrest can be treated and reversed, but emergency action must take place immediately. Survival can be as high as 90% if treatment is initiated within the first minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. The rate decreases by about 10% each minute longer it takes to initiate therapy. Those who survive have a good long-term outlook.

In the first few minutes, the greatest concern is that blood flow to the brain will be reduced so drastically that the person will lose consciousness. Death follows unless emergency treatment is begun immediately.

Emergency treatment includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, which delivers an electrical shock to restore the heart rhythm. Emergency squads use portable defibrillators, and frequently there are ambulatory external defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations that are intended to be available for use by citizens who observe cardiac arrest.

What Are the Symptoms of Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Some people may experience a racing heartbeat or they may feel dizzy, alerting them that a potentially dangerous heart rhythm problem has started. In most cases, however, sudden cardiac arrest occurs without prior symptoms.

What Causes Sudden Cardiac Death?

Most sudden cardiac deaths are caused by abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. The most common life-threatening arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation, which is an erratic, disorganized firing of impulses from the ventricles (the heart's lower chambers). When this occurs, the heart is unable to pump blood and death will occur within minutes, if left untreated.

People with a history of heart attack and severe heart failure are more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death.