Heart Groups Issue 10 Performance Measures for Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have issued performance and quality measures for preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD) in adults.

Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, some of the measures include:

• Smoking cessation intervention for patients at risk for SCD, including those who have had sudden cardiac arrest or have ventricular arrhythmias.

• Screening for a family history of SCD.

• Screening for asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction among those with a "strong" family history of cardiomyopathy and SCD. A strong family history includes having at least one immediate family member or more than one second-degree relative with SCD.

• For patients hospitalized with high-risk cardiovascular conditions (e.g., myocardial infarction, heart failure), referral of family members to CPR and automated external defibrillator education.

• Use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction who are expected to survive longer than 1 year.

• Use of guideline-recommended medical therapy in those with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (e.g., angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker).