Risk for Sudden Death in Heart Failure Seems to Have Declined in 19-Year Study

Predictions of risk guide our clinical decisions about which interventions to adopt and thus need to be informed by the most contemporary information. As medicine evolves quickly, our assumptions about risk need to be updated constantly.

The risk for sudden death in patients with heart failure is particularly important. To mitigate this risk, clinicians commonly have used devices like implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), at considerable cost and some hazard. As more patients are treated with evidence-based medications, however, we have little way to track whether the risk is changing. To address this issue, investigators combined information from 12 randomized, controlled, clinical trials conducted from 1995 through 2014. They exc…