Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young is often caused by inherited cardiac diseases. The two main types of diseases associated with SCD are cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. It is, though, challenging to determine the cause of death in cases with channelopathies as these diseases do not induce structural changes of cardiac tissue. Genetic investigations, a so-called molecular autopsy, may aid in determining the cause of death by identifying genetic variation that caused the disease. This knowledge can also be used to evaluate the risk of SCD in relatives.

• Investigation of heart genes in young individuals (<50 years) that died suddenly and unexpectedly and where the cause of death was unexplained or suspected cardiac disease following autopsy
• Evaluation of gene expression levels in the heart of sudden cardiac death victims