Towards a better risk stratification for sudden cardiac death in patients with structural heart disease

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common single cause of death in developed countries. Yearly, worldwide, more than three million people will die due to SCD, the majority because of ventricular arrhythmia (VA).1,2 With the introduction of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), it is possible to protect patients who are at risk for life-threatening VA and subsequent SCD.3-8 In this setting, a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is considered to be the most important risk factor. However, additional risk markers are needed to further stratify since most ICD recipients do not experience a life-threatening VA. In this article an overview is presented of potential risk markers and the possible future role they may play in selecting patients for ICD therapy. …