i am very sorry for the loss of your brother. it is understandable and commendable that you are looking for the reasons behind his untimely death. sudden unexpected death in chf patients does happen. about half of all deaths from heart disease are sudden and unexpected regardless of the underlying disease. heart enlargement due to atherosclerosis of coronary arteries can predispose someone to an acute bout of chf. the heart stops pumping efficiently with fluid build-up and difficulty in breathing occurring. we usually think of congestive heart failure as a progressive disease affecting older people. but sometimes this condition can occur in younger individuals such as your brother and go undiagnosed. death in patients with chf is usually the result of heart failure ischemic (stroke-like) episodes and arrhythmias (irregular beating of the heart). perhaps you can meet with the doctor in charge of your brother’s autopsy so that they can more adequately answer your questions based upon actual case facts. you deserve to hear exactly what precipitated your brother’s death and not just have to live with a death certificate showing chf as the cause of death. i hope that this answer has been helpful and wish you peace during your period of grieving.
my younger brother age 32 died in sleep. no sign of struggle except foam like saliva. pm sugest congestive heart failure. there was no medical history of heart problem except mild hypertension. he was serving in fire service and physically active. was the death due to congestive heart failure and if so what might be the reasons?