[Myocardial ultrastructure in sudden cardiac death].

The state of myocardial ultrastructure was studied on the materials of urgent autopsies in sudden cardiac death (SCD) of 27 men varying in ages from 24 to 60 years. Destructive ultrastructural changes as well as intact cardiomyocytes and cells with signs of true and "incompetent" hypertrophy were found in the myocardium in SCD. Considering a certain set of changes in myofibrils, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum, the results of the study allow in each definite case of SCD to incriminate predominance of the hypoxia disorders or damages of the calcium nature, probably associated with an increased content of catecholamines in the myocardium. Alongside with alterations in cardiomyocytes, disorders in the myocardial microcirculation system were found which could further aggravate the insufficiency of the organ causing the sudden death.