Cardiac death in aortic valve sclerosis and coronary artery disease. An autopsy report.

The Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD), already in early stage of Aortic Valve Sclerosis (AVS), may be associated with a major cardiac event. The authors present a report of cardiac death by AVS explaining the possible pathogenetic mechanism involved in exitus. In the literature several studies reports that, already in the early stage of the disease, a reduction of ventricular function could be enlighten. When the condition persists over time, the resulting concentric ventricular hypertrophy determines increase in perfusion requirement, and, if it is associated with a Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the myocardium undergoes a process of sclerosis that further depresses the function of cardiac pump. The reduced cardiac effectiveness leads to an overload of the lungs with edema and congestion in the terminal phase that characterize the cardiac and respiratory failure.