How scary.
I'm not sure that that is a common reaction but there are sites on that you will find on Google that state there are about 36 deaths a year from Revolution and 6 from Heartgard. If Revolution was used more than Heartgard, that would make sense, but it seems that Heartgard is the older, tried and true drug and more people would be using it. The heartworm protection is also questionable. I have heard of too many dogs getting heartworms while on it. You also can't split the dose because of the heartworm protection. That is only okay for flea meds because unmedicating wouldn't be life threatening.
I use Interceptor and then Frontline Plus when absolutely necessary. Interceptor appears to have 9 reported deaths a year. I'm not sure how many people use it though, so hard to say.
I think Heartgard is okay also and may be one of the safest for some breeds.
I do not use and would not recommend Revolution.
Sadly, any drug could've caused that reaction though.