Prevention of Sudden Death In Different Realities: Can We Reach a Consensus?

摘要

Sudden death presents a challenge to the North American electrophysiology community which is unmet at many levels. Innovations in medical care over the past two decades have decreased the numbers and perhaps the characteristics of those who suffer sudden death. However, current data suggests that patients who survive a malignant cardiac arrhythmia are being undertreated in most areas of the world including North America. More importantly, survivors of malignant arrhythmias and candidates for prophylactic implantable car-dioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) constitute only a small percentage of those patients who will die in the United States.