Cardiac arrest

Screening of the asymptomatic population for sudden cardiac arrest is not recommended.

Screening for familial causes of sudden cardiac arrest, including congenital long QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome, is offered to first- and second-degree relatives of patients with sudden cardiac arrest.[65]Behr E, Wood DA, Wright M, et al. Cardiological assessment of first-degree relatives in sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. Lancet. 2003; 362:1457-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14602442?tool=bestpractice.com Measures found useful in this situation include a general cardiological examination consisting of a careful history and physical examination, ECG, echocardiogram, Holter monitoring, and stress testing.[66]Tan HL, Hofman N, van Langen IM, et al. Sudden unexplained death: heritability and diagnostic yield of cardiological and genetic examination in surviving relatives. Circulation. 2005; 112:207-13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15998675?tool=bestpractice.com Further evaluation including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological testing can be performed when indicated.[61]Wever EF, Robles de Medina EO. Sudden death in patients without structural heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004;43:1137-44. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15063419?tool=bestpractice.com In addition, screening for genetic diseases associated with sudden cardiac arrest in family members has been demonstrated to be useful at centres experienced with inherited cardiac diseases.