title: Risk stratification for arrhythmic events in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: a review of the literature and current perspectives.
abstract: The prognosis for patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has markedly improved during the last decade, mainly because of advancements in therapeutic strategies. However, sudden death still accounts for a significant part of the total mortality in patients with moderate disease. Recent primary prophylactic trials failed to demonstrate any benefit of cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in an unselected group of idiopathic DCM patients and thus the identification of the subgroup of patients at high arrhythmic risk is crucial. Although different risk stratification methods have been evaluated in risk assessment, the reported clinical value differs in studies, mainly because of differences in either methodology and/or patient selection. The present review focuses on arrhythmic events in idiopathic DCM and on the value of noninvasive methods and electrophysiological study in the risk stratification of this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Diseases, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy. leonardo.calo@tin.it
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calò
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peichl
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bulava
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lamberti
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Loricchio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meo
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pandozi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santini
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D018754:Ventricular Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology