Found Alive TX - Christine Woo (fnd dec'd), 39, & 3 kids, Frisco, 28 March 2016

[Bootsctr]

I had to google this one...been an RN for 10 years and never heard of it before! It seems to involve an abnormal heart rhythm that ends in cardiac arrest, but it's basically a "best guess" when all other causes have been ruled out. Very rare!

Glad you weighed in. I would appreciate hearing from more nurses and health specialists weigh in on "Sudden Adult Death Syndrome."

 

[Bootsctr]

TWWNMFSP*

I'm 5'1" and do use window at banks, but I have to undo my seat belt to be able to reach the drawer to put in or take out. I've never used a drug store window -- prolly never will.

Do you find yourself making a little area for your toes in the bottom shelf of the grocery store shelves to step upwards to get to an item you must have that is on the top shelf? And getting a carton of milk (where there are no bottom shelves to stand on) from the top shelf? Grrrrrr.

* The world was not made for short people.

I'm 5'4" and have the same problem. I bought one of those retractable backscratchers at CVS and I carry it in my purse 'specially for Wal-Mart, grocery stores where they tend to put items out of reach for SHORT PEOPLE. I pulled it out and I use it to grab or hook the item that is out of the reach of SHORT PEOPLE to drag it where I can reach it. Sorry, off rant now! Still need that bottom shelf sometimes.

 

[perfectingpink]

Glad you weighed in. I would appreciate hearing from more nurses and health specialists weigh in on "Sudden Adult Death Syndrome."

Maybe LaborDay will be by soon and can add more. I had never heard of that term either. This article may help.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1955549/

 

[strawberry]

I'm an rn and never heard of it


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[LaborDayRN]

Maybe LaborDay will be by soon and can add more. I had never heard of that term either. This article may help.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1955549/

I've honestly never heard of it either! Is it related to sleep apnea? I'm going to read up on it now!

 

[LaborDayRN]

I had to google this one...been an RN for 10 years and never heard of it before! It seems to involve an abnormal heart rhythm that ends in cardiac arrest, but it's basically a "best guess" when all other causes have been ruled out. Very rare!

Thanks MzOpinion8d!

 

[strawberry]

I've heard of sudden cardiac death but not this syndrome


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[LaborDayRN]

SADS stands for Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome ((In the past it has also been called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome or Sudden Death Syndrome but, because it affects infants and children too, the term Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome is now used). It is a term used to describe the likely cause of sudden death in someone when a post-mortem examination has not shown any other potential cause of death (structural heart disease and coronary disease or ‘hardening of the arteries’ have not been seen, or are not considered sufficient to cause sudden death).
http://www.cry.ie/index.php/need-help/information

IMO this diagnosis wouldn't be made until toxicology screens, pathology and labs come back. I'm assuming they didn't see any evidence of a blood clot, pulmonary embolism, aneurysm etc. during the autopsy. I believe when they say "no signs of foul play" they mean she wasn't shot, stabbed or beaten. My prayers are with her children and husband.

 

[Bootsctr]

I was surprised it had an ICD-9 code. The study was somewhat limited in that it only included Caucasians. I would think being choked/strangled by another person would have been obvious right after finding her too.

Thank you LaborDayRN! From your link:

Several conditions have been shown to cause SADS. These are usually electrical problems – problems with pump systems found in the walls of cells in the heart which are meant to pump salts in and out of the cell. These pump problems are called ‘channelopathies’ or ‘ ion channel disorders’ and can broadly be said to include ‘Long QT Syndrome’, Brugada syndrome, and the unpronounceable Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT). It is not possible to find these at post-mortem (unless genetic tests are performed, which is not yet part of standard practice).

http://www.cry.ie/index.php/need-help/information

 

[borndem]

Thanks for the link. I have been following along on this thread since last week and just as puzzled as the rest of you.

One thing I wonder from what the ME's office released today is that if they are waiting on tox reports does that mean there is no other physical damage found like from a heart attack or an aneurism?

I think the ME may want to make sure that nothing is found in the tox screen that could have possibly caused whatever they say is the cause of death -- if they think she died due to natural causes, I'm thinking they want to be sure that's what it is. If they don't know the cause, I would imagine they are hoping the tox screen will give them COD. This is so sad.

I feel sure that this is not the case here, but my good friend who works in a major trauma center in this area says that whenever the patient comes in with a stroke or other brain "event," they always do a tox screen to rule out cocaine overuse -- they have seen situations where it is found that coke can cause a stroke or brain hemorrhage due to the way it can make one's blood pressure rise to dangerous levels. Just a thought...

 

[pepelepolecat]

I think the ME may want to make sure that nothing is found in the tox screen that could have possibly caused whatever they say is the cause of death -- if they think she died due to natural causes, I'm thinking they want to be sure that's what it is. If they don't know the cause, I would imagine they are hoping the tox screen will give them COD. This is so sad.

I feel sure that this is not the case here, but my good friend who works in a major trauma center in this area says that whenever the patient comes in with a stroke or other brain "event," they always do a tox screen to rule out cocaine overuse -- they have seen situations where it is found that coke can cause a stroke or brain hemorrhage due to the way it can make one's blood pressure rise to dangerous levels. Just a thought...

bbm -- I don't know why, but this almost offends me (irrationally!!!!). I'm at a rather high stroke risk due to a connective tissue disorder, and I don't like the idea of being presumed a drug user until proven otherwise. (Not that I'd care at that point, being dead and all ... like I said, irrational ... )

Similarly, I can't imagine Christine Woo being a cocaine user, but I can imagine that she might have had a pre-existing condition that may have gone undiagnosed that may have predisposed her to some other health crisis manifesting unexpectedly.

 

[mrazda71]

bbm -- I don't know why, but this almost offends me (irrationally!!!!). I'm at a rather high stroke risk due to a connective tissue disorder, and I don't like the idea of being presumed a drug user until proven otherwise. (Not that I'd care at that point, being dead and all ... like I said, irrational ... )

Similarly, I can't imagine Christine Woo being a cocaine user, but I can imagine that she might have had a pre-existing condition that may have gone undiagnosed that may have predisposed her to some other health crisis manifesting unexpectedly.

I'm with you wholeheartedly on this one! I have connective tissue disorder too (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) and my middle daughter also had an ischaemic Stroke aged 13 ...

I have a vague thing in my head that Asian people are at a higher risk of heart conditions? Or have I dreamt that up?

 

[Andie11]

bbm -- I don't know why, but this almost offends me (irrationally!!!!). I'm at a rather high stroke risk due to a connective tissue disorder, and I don't like the idea of being presumed a drug user until proven otherwise. (Not that I'd care at that point, being dead and all ... like I said, irrational ... )

No one is assuming you are a drug user, they're just checking a tox screen. Cardiac events due to cocaine often don't respond to routine treatment, and for a long time, a staple of cardiac treatment (beta-blockers) was contraindicated in cocaine users - it's crucial to know if drug use was involved.
They might check a blood glucose, not because anyone is assuming you are diabetic, but because it's crucial to know if you are. Different way to frame it in your mind.

 

[jpo74]

anyone know when the tox report will come back?

 

[LaborDayRN]

No one is assuming you are a drug user, they're just checking a tox screen. Cardiac events due to cocaine often don't respond to routine treatment, and for a long time, a staple of cardiac treatment (beta-blockers) was contraindicated in cocaine users - it's crucial to know if drug use was involved.
They might check a blood glucose, not because anyone is assuming you are diabetic, but because it's crucial to know if you are. Different way to frame it in your mind.

Off Topic: Exactly. Health care professionals need to know "what" they are treating in order to help you. If you are conscious, they will ask you to sign a consent before a drug screen is done. You are free to refuse, but your treatment will be more helpful to you if your doctor know exactly how to treat you. They aren't doing it to point fingers. They would be negligent If they didn't gather all pertinent information when treating you or your loved one.

 

[LaborDayRN]

anyone know when the tox report will come back?

I think in other cases I've followed it takes from 3-6 weeks.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

I think the ME may want to make sure that nothing is found in the tox screen that could have possibly caused whatever they say is the cause of death -- if they think she died due to natural causes, I'm thinking they want to be sure that's what it is. If they don't know the cause, I would imagine they are hoping the tox screen will give them COD. This is so sad.

I feel sure that this is not the case here, but my good friend who works in a major trauma center in this area says that whenever the patient comes in with a stroke or other brain "event," they always do a tox screen to rule out cocaine overuse -- they have seen situations where it is found that coke can cause a stroke or brain hemorrhage due to the way it can make one's blood pressure rise to dangerous levels. Just a thought...

I recently learned that acute opiate withdrawal can cause ulcers that can be fatal! I've worked in addictions treatment and detox off and on over the years and never knew this could be a complication. It really is shocking how bad drugs can be for a body.

 

[Eileen730]

Glad you weighed in. I would appreciate hearing from more nurses and health specialists weigh in on "Sudden Adult Death Syndrome."

I just read abut Broken Heart Syndrome! Same exact thing!

But this woman Went to Walgreens then Went to Mcdonalds.
Parked her car Put up the Shield on the windshield...
If there was some medical emergency I'm sure she could have opend the door and yelled for help Or the oldest would have.
IMO she waited for the babies to fall asleep after giving sleeping tablets once they fell aslpeep she took hers... The children llater woke up
and sat there waiting for mom to wake up....

I think MOM was depressed and decided to take her life and believed the kids would not do well without her sooo...
I am very happy the children survived....And like I have said since day one I really believe the children were asleep for a quite a while
And this is the only reason they survived so long in that car.

All JMVOO

 

[Geekusa]

Everything about this case is just so strange, I live nearby and have been riveted since the beginning as many of you. I'm so glad the children are at least safe and I'm impatiently waiting to learn more. I cannot imagine the way Christine's family is feeling.

 

[borndem]

Originally Posted by pepelepolecat
bbm -- I don't know why, but this almost offends me (irrationally!!!!). I'm at a rather high stroke risk due to a connective tissue disorder, and I don't like the idea of being presumed a drug user until proven otherwise. (Not that I'd care at that point, being dead and all ... like I said, irrational ... )

Similarly, I can't imagine Christine Woo being a cocaine user, but I can imagine that she might have had a pre-existing condition that may have gone undiagnosed that may have predisposed her to some other health crisis manifesting unexpectedly.

I'm with you wholeheartedly on this one! I have connective tissue disorder too (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) and my middle daughter also had an ischaemic Stroke aged 13 ...

I have a vague thing in my head that Asian people are at a higher risk of heart conditions? Or have I dreamt that up?

I understand why you might feel that way, but ...

Several years ago I was rushed to the hospital from work -- headache, couldn't walk very well, nauseated, high BP, etc., The diagnosis was a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to an aneurysm. And yes, I found out later that they did to a "routine" tox for cocaine and other drugs (speed, etc.) when I was checked at the ER that day.

Of course I was negative for whatever-all they tested, but the tox test was listed on the hospital bill, and I asked my neurosurgeon, and he said it was routine, and I also asked my trauma nurse friend who said the same. The medical professionals do need to know what they are dealing with, so it's SOP when they see certain symptoms. Sigh.