Sudden cardiac death prediction and prevention: Report from a national heart, lung, and blood institute and heart rhythm society workshop

Abstract

The prediction and prevention of SCD remains an enormous challenge. Despite the accumulation of remarkable insight into the genetic basis and regulation of cardiac excitability, translation of this knowledge into novel strategies to identify the majority of individuals at risk of SCD is lacking, as it has targeted antiarrhythmic therapy. Translating new genetic information into improved understanding of physiology and disease represents a bottleneck to progress in mechanistic SCD research. Recent population, clinical, and basic science research studies, however, suggest there are real opportunities to improve our ability to identify individuals at moderate and high risk of SCD and to intervene to diminish such risk. Nonetheless, the complexity of the problem cannot be overstated and integrative strategies spanning a broad range of scales from molecular through organism and population studies, will be required to make progress in this area. © 2010 American Heart Association, Inc.