A short story of the short QT syndrome

Abstract

Short QT syndrome is a recently recognized cause of cardiac rhythm disorders, including sudden cardiac death. Although the syndrome is rare, its potential lethality justifies routinely screening the electrocardiograms of patients with syncope or unexplained atrial or ventricular arrhythmias to look for this diagnosis. This review discusses recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this syndrome and outlines some of the challenges in establishing the diagnosis.