Validation of a computer case definition for sudden cardiac death in opioid users

BMC Research Notes

Table 1 Performance of the computer case definition for sudden cardiac death

	N	%
Adjudicated cases	81	100.0
Not sudden cardiac death^a	8	9.9
Sudden cardiac death	73	90.1
Evidence potential opioid overdose^b	2	2.5
No evidence opioid overdose	71	87.7
Probable sudden cardiac death	69	85.2
Possible sudden cardiac death	2	2.5

^aThe excluded cases include: 2, bradycardia with weak pulse; 1, pulseless electrical activity; 1, concurrent myocardial infarction/motor vehicle crash; 1, congestive heart failure; 1, pneumonia; 1, witnessed gradual onset death; and 1, respiratory failure with hypotension.
^bBased on post-mortem tests for opioid metabolites possibly consistent with overdose.

ISSN: 1756-0500