Electrophysiological Studies Do Predict Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Brugada Syndrome

Some patients with Brugada syndrome are at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), but predicting who possesses a malignant phenotype is difficult. Surely, patients with resuscitated SCA are at risk for future events. Syncope that appears arrhythmic also likely predicts future SCA. The use of programmed electrical stimulation (PES) is controversial, although the Brugada brothers, who first described the syndrome, have long argued that PES induction of ventricular fibrillation is predictive of future events.

In a systematic review and pooled analysis of eight studies with long-term outcomes data on 1312 patients with no history of SCA or ventricular arrhythmias, researchers (who did not include the Brugadas) examined the predictive capability o…