Sudden Cardiac Death Risk Stratification and the Role of the Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), although perhaps not as significantly as previously believed. Given the heterogeneous nature of this disease entity, risk stratification of individuals with HCM remains challenging. The recent HCM risk-SCD prediction model seems to perform well in assessing individual SCD risk. Even though implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) are effective in preventing SCD in patients at increased risk, the importance of shared decision making in deciding whether or not to undergo ICD implantation cannot be understated