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A study to record if the outcomes after a cardiac arrest in hospital differed during nights and weekends as against days or evening and weekdays is conducted. Results show lower survival rates from cardiac arrests during nights and weekends.

The article examines Medicare beneficiaries at high risk of sudden cardiac death and finds significant sex differences in the use of ICD therapy.

Studies are conducted to determine the relationship between clinical risk profile and incidence and efficacy of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) intervention in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Results reveal that in a high-risk HCM cohort, ICD interventions for life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias were frequent and highly effective in restoring normal rhythm.

The causes of sudden cardiovascular death in the young athletic population in the Veneto region of Italy and the changes in incidence rates after introduction of systematic preparticipation screening are analyzed. It is observed that the incidence of sudden vascular death in young athletes has significantly reduced since the implementation of the screening, as it is effective in identifying athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in providing some protection against the risk of sudden death.

A study of 2772 participants was conducted to identify risk factors associated with aborted cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death during adolescence in patients with clinically suspected long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Findings indicate that the timing and frequency of syncope, the degree of QTc prolongation and sex are independent predictors of life-threatening events in adolescents with LQTS.

The risk of sudden cardiac death in women during moderate to vigorous exertion is compared with the risk of sudden cardiac death during lighter or no exertion and the long-term association between moderate to vigorous exercise and sudden cardiac death are assessed. The results have shown that sudden cardiac death during exertion is an extremely rare event in women and exercising regularly might significantly minimize this small transient risk.

A study conducted to measure multiple parameters of in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality and to determine compliance with published American Heart Association and international guidelines is reported. The results revealed that the quality of multiple parameters of CPR was inconsistent and often did not meet published guideline recommendations, even when performed by well-trained hospital staff.

Identification of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major challenge for the medical community. The guidelines recommend that survivors of cardiac arrest receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrilltor (ICD) for secondary prophylaxis of SCD, but identifying individuals for primary prophylaxis of SCD with an ICD is proven difficult.