The Changing Epidemiology of Ventricular Arrhythmias

Investigations of the impact of ventricular arrhythmias in populations have focused primarily on two aspects, ventricular ectopic activity and sudden cardiac death (SCD). The observation that coronary heart disease (CHD) is an important background of death due to ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) remains the dominant belief today. The evidence supports the principle that reduction of deaths due to VTA is multifactorial and results from improved primary prevention, treatment of CHD complications, and secondary prevention. Recent evidence for unfavorable trends for SCD and CHD mortality raises the specter of a reversal in the gains made against fatal VTA in recent decades.