Sudden Cardiac Death Can Occur Without Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are at increased risk for sudden death and comprise the majority of patients receiving primary-prophylaxis implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, because very few CAD patients have severe LV dysfunction, 70% of sudden deaths in CAD patients occur without reduced LVEF. Despite this, risk factors for sudden death in those without severe LV dysfunction are not defined. To learn more, especially about sudden arrhythmia deaths (SADs), researchers prospectively followed 5761 patients with CAD and no ICD at baseline; patients either had LVEF >30% and no heart failure (HF) or LVEF >35% and class II or higher HF (median age at enrollment, …