Reducing mortality from sudden cardiac death in the community: lessons from epidemiology and clinical applications research

The reduction of mortality from sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the community remains a challenge. Clinical-epidemiologic studies have identified a range of factors that are associated with an increased risk of SCD. While of potential etiologic and prognostic importance, these factors have limited sensitivity and a low positive predictive value for SCD. On the other hand, clinical trials have suggested that a variety of interventions, including risk factor reduction, nutritional interventions, drug therapies, cardiac procedures, and new technologies, have the potential to reduce mortality from SCD. In this review, we examine what is known about the epidemiology and clinical application of interventions to reduce mortality from SCD; and, we consider the impact of both prevention and clinical interventions on mortality from SCD from a community perspective. There is mounting evidence that supports both public health and clinical efforts to prevent the occurrence of SCD. There also is evidence suggesting that new technologies, such as automated external defibrillators, have the potential to reduce case-fatality from SCD. Further progress will depend on improved methods to identify persons-at-risk, reduction of risk factors, and application of techniques -- both simple and advanced -- to improve survival in victims of SCD.