The contemporary era of sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias : basic concepts, recent developments and future directions

“Despite advances in prevention and treatment, sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a leading cause of mortality and is responsible for approximately half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease”, state Wong et al. [1]. Their epidemiological review opens this Special Issue, in which we learn that SCD is responsible for 15–20% of all deaths in Western societies [1], [2]. Sudden cardiac death is strongly associated with, and may be preceded by, various forms of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) which are themselves a common and widespread cause of the overall morbidity and mortality related to heart rhythm disturbances [3]. Given the significant, rapid evolution in our current state of knowledge in these fields, this entire Special Issue of Heart, Lung and Circulation is dedicated to SCD and VA. In this introductory editorial, we highlight some of the basic concepts, many recent developments and controversies, and future directions in SCD and VA to be found within the State-of-the-Art reviews in this Special Issue; considered together, they elucidate the breadth and depth of contemporary diagnostic and management considerations in SCD and VA. Also, as background information to assist our general readers, we provide here a brief, broad overview of VA, and the scope of the problems they present in clinical practice.