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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 29.
Published in final edited form as: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011 Feb 15;57(7):794–801. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.064

Table 1.

Published estimates of the annual incidence of SCD in the U.S.

Source Definitional equivalents of SCA and/or
SCD
Estimated
annual
incidence of
SCD
Proportion of
sudden deaths
considered
SCD
Method of
estimation
Dates data
collected
for
estimate
Publicati
on Date
Gillum,
RF(13)
SCD = sudden coronary death, defined as
“deaths attributed to ischemic heart
disease occurring out-of-hospital or in
emergency rooms.”
223,864 56% Based on national
level data (from 40
states)
1980–1985 1989
Escobed
o, et
al.(14)
SCD = sudden coronary death, defined as
“coronary heart disease deaths in persons
dying within 1 hour of onset of
cardiovascular symptoms.”
251,000 48% Based on national
level data (except
Oregon)
1980 and
1986
1996
Zheng,
et al.(17)
SCD = sudden cardiac death, defined as
“the sudden, unexpected natural death
from a cardiac cause a short time
(generally ≤1 hour) after the onset of
symptoms in a person without any
previous condition that would seem fatal”
or “any cardiac death occurring out of the
hospital or taking place in the emergency
room or dead on arrival in the emergency
room.”
456,076 63.3% Based on national
level data
1989–1998 2001
Cobb, et
al.(15)
All cardiac arrest cases with presumed
cardiac etiology who received advanced
life support from Seattle Fire Department
emergency medical services.
184,000 NR Extrapolated from
community study
(Seattle,
Washington)
During
specified
periods
between
1979–2000
2002
Chugh,
et al
2004
(16)
and
Chugh,
et al
2008
(19)*
SCD = sudden cardiac death, defined
using the World Health Organization
criteria as “sudden unexpected death
either within 1 h of symptom onset (event
witnessed), or within 24 h of having been
observed alive and symptom free
(unwitnessed).” Survivors of cardiac
arrest were also included under SCD
cases.
180,000–
250,000
NR Extrapolated from
community study
(Multnomah
County, Oregon)
2002–2003 2004
Nichol,
et al
2008(18)
Cardiac arrest cases that occurred outside
the hospital, were evaluated by EMS and
either (1) received attempts at external
defibrillation or chest compressions by
organized EMS
or (2) were pulseless but did not receive
CPR or attempts to defibrillate by EMS.
294,851
(quasi
confidence
interval,
236,063 –
325,007)
NR Extrapolated from
8 US sites
(Alabama, Iowa,
Dallas, Texas,
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin,
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania,
Portland, Oregon,
Seattle,
Washington)
2006–2007 2008

CPR = cardiopulmonary resuscitation; EMS = emergency medical services; NR = not reported

*

A count estimate is not provided in Chugh, et al., 2004, but is extrapolated and reported in Chugh, et al., 2008.