[Changes in the heart conduction system in sudden cardiac death].

The conductive system of the heart was studied morphometrically in serial sections in 12 autopsy observations of sudden cardiac death. In 11 cases the sudden death was due to chronic ischemic disease of the heart, in 1 case to idiopathic myocarditis of Abramov-Fidler. The control consisted of 12 autopsy observations of subjects dying of mechanical trauma, alcoholic toxicity, cerebral hemorrhage in the presence of hypertension. In 4 out of 12 observations of sudden cardiac death, acute dyscirculatory disorders of the microcirculatory bed and focal destructive changes of specific muscle fibers were detected in the conductive system of the heart. The intensity of atrophic and sclerotic processes in ganglions of the conductive system was not significantly different from that in the controls.