What causes a cardiac patient under medication to die in sleep?

Question

Hello doctor,

I want to find out why my dad died suddenly while sleeping. He was sleeping, and my mom heard a weird sound from him. He was kind of choking; his face and chest area were blue, eyes open with eyeballs up, and he was trying to breathe and speak but could not. He was trying to get up, but he could not. He was unconscious and died immediately after that.

My mom tried to give him oxygen through her mouth and pressed his chest, but nothing helped. When the ambulance came, it was late. He had a heart attack 13 years back and had a heart bypass surgery afterward. He lived 13 years after that surgery and died three days ago this year. He was taking blood thinning medication (Cardiomagnil) and some other medicines, but I do not know the names. He was trying to be healthy by eating a well-balanced diet. He was moderately active and had no complaints. He had regular check-ups, and everything was okay. Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for your query.

Sad to know about your father's demise. He was a known ischemic heart disease patient. Most likely, his cause of death is cardiac arrest. It means the heart suddenly stopped beating. It occurs in heart patients whose heart function is down. Please share his past ECGs (electrocardiograms) and echocardiograms so that I can guide you accordingly.

I hope this has helped you. Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

As you said, he made a grunting sound, eyeballs rolled upwards and was cyanosed. All these things occur in cardiac arrest. Another possibility is the aspiration of vomitus, but he has not vomited. In cardiac patients, cardiac rhythm may become unstable without any previous signs. Sudden death is very common in cardiac arrest. Suddenly, the heart's rhythm becomes unstable, blood flow to the brain and other body parts ceases, and patients develop fits, become unable to breathe, and die. Immediate CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is necessary to save a life. I hope this has helped you. Thank you.

Answer 3

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

ECG (electrocardiogram) shows an incomplete left bundle branch block, which usually occurs in those whose hearts are weak. It is assessed with echocardiography. There are Q waves also, which suggest an old heart attack. Acetylsalicylic Acid and Metoprolol are just two out of the four to five drugs that cardiac patients must take. All these medicines prevent another heart attack and cardiac arrest. Oseltamivir is also reported to cause sudden deaths. There are some articles regarding this available on the internet. These all are just assumptions. The exact cause of death can be found in the autopsy.

I hope this has helped you. Thank you.