BP,
As an emergency physician, I'm among the first, most likely people to reverse 'sudden death.' More likely still would be the smart lay person who slaps on an automated defibrilliator in the field and finds a shockable rhythm.
My wee little point was that in a lay audience article, our Hopkin's man's use of 'sudden death' (which is an accurate medical term), is not terribly well-chosen, and so funny . . .
Cheers,
MTB