Abstract 18946: Frequency of Unidentified Cause of Death in Sudden Unexpected Death: A Post-mortem Retrospective Study From Asian Population

Introduction: Sudden unexpected death (SUD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although coronary atherosclerosis is a major cause of SUD, standard autopsy may not explain the cause of SUD. The frequency of unidentified cause of death in Thailand is not known. Therefore, we conduct a retrospective study to address the frequency of unidentified cause of death in SUD of Thailand. Hypothesis: The frequency of unidentified cause of death in SUD of Thailand could be higher than Caucasian. Methods: We reviewed autopsy reports of SUD in Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand, during January 2012-December 2013. The autopsy reports were excluded if; (1) the age was over 65 or under 18 years; (2) the death was expected death: e.g. the decease was in hospice care; (3) the cause was an obvious non-cardiac cause: e.g. trauma, overdose, or pneumonia; (4) the decease was not Thai citizen. Results: A total of 116 cases, 108 males (93.1%) and 8 female (6.9%), were included. The mean age was 49.7±15.2 year...