Karnataka’s Bold Step to Classify Sudden Deaths as Notifiable: A National Imperative in the setting benchmark.
Keywords:
Notifiable Death, Sudden Death, National PolicyAbstract
In a significant public health development, the Karnataka government has proposed making sudden out-of-hospital deaths, particularly in individuals under 45, a notifiable condition. This initiative, driven by expert committee recom mendations, also mandates autopsies in such cases and the creation of a centralized registry. By aligning with interna tional best practices and emphasizing data-driven strategies, this model addresses India’s long-standing gaps in mortality surveillance. While ethical and logistical challenges persist, Karnataka’s policy can serve as a national blueprint for reforming death investigation and improving cardiovascular health outcomes.
References
The Hindu Bureau. (2025, July 8). Sudden heart attack deaths among people under age of 45 declared notifiable in Karnataka. The Hindu. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/sudden-heart-attack-deaths-among-people-under-age-of-45-declared-notifiable-in-karnataka/article69783397.ece
Tnn. (2025, June 30). Series of sudden heart-related deaths in Karnataka prompts study. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/series-of-sudden-heart-related-deaths-in-karnataka-prompts-study/articleshow/122166670.cms
Myerburg, R. J., & Junttila, M. J. (2012). Sudden cardiac death caused by coronary heart disease. Circulation, 125(8), 1043–1052.
Tester, D. J., & Ackerman, M. J. (2007). Postmortem long QT syndrome genetic testing for sudden unexplained death in the young. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 49(2), 240–246.
World Health Organization. (2019). International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 11th Revision (ICD-11). Geneva: WHO.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024). Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young. [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jul 9]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/comec/data-systems/suid-sdy.html
United Kingdom Parliament. (2009). Coroners and Justice Act 2009. [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jul 9]. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/25/contents
Paratz, E. D., Rowsell, L., van Heusden, A., Zentner, D., Parsons, S., Morgan, N., Thompson, T., James, P., Pflaumer, A., Semsarian, C., Ingles, J., Case, R., Ball, J., Smith, K., Stub, D., & La Gerche, A.; Australian EndUCD Registry. (2021). The End Unexplained Cardiac Death (EndUCD) Registry for Young Australian Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 30(5), 714–720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2020.09.937
Allan, K., Dorian, P., Lin, S.; C-SCAN Investigators. (2019). Developing a Pan-Canadian Registry of Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Challenges and Opportunities. CJC Open, 1(2), 53–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2019.01.005
Jensen, T. W., Blomberg, S. N., Folke, F., Mikkelsen, S., Rostgaard Knudsen, M., Juelsgaard, P., Christensen, E. F., Torp-Pedersen, C., Lippert, F., & Christensen, H. C. (2022). The National Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – A Registry in Transformation. Clinical Epidemiology, 14, 949–957. https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S374788
Margey, R., Roy, A., Tobin, S., O’Keane, C. J., McGorrian, C., Morris, V., Singi, S., Jennings, V., & Galvin, J. (2011). Sudden cardiac death in 14- to 35-year olds in Ireland from 2005 to 2007: A retrospective registry. EP Europace, 13(10), 1411–1418. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/eur161
Panshewdkar, H. N., Buktar, S., Tayade, M. C., & Pundkar, R. D. (2023). Study of cultural and societal influences on postmortem practices in India. Pravara Medical Review, 15(4).
Mohanty, M. K., Sahu, S. S., Singh, S. R., et al. (2023). External challenges for specialists dealing with forensic autopsies. Medico-Legal Journal, 93(1_suppl), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/00258172231195733
Basso, C., Aguilera, B., Banner, J., et al. (2017). Guidelines for autopsy investigation of sudden cardiac death: 2017 update from the Association for European Cardiovascular Pathology. Virchows Archiv, 471(6), 691–705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-017-2221-0
World Health Organization. (2016). Verbal Autopsy Standards: Ascertaining and Attributing Causes of Death. [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jul 9]. Available from: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/other-classifications/verbal-autopsy-standards-ascertaining-and-attributing-causes-of-death-tool