Use of the prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator for patients with normal hearts

About 10-20% of patients dying suddenly and unexpectedly do not have structural heart disease. The major causes of sudden death in this population are acute ischemia, the syndrome of right bundle branch block, and ST-elevation from V1 to V3, the long QT-syndrome, and the Wolff-Parkinson-While syndrome. In some patients, none of these syndromes can be recognized and ventricular fibrillation is classified as idiopathic. There are good preventive and therapeutic methods against acute ischemia and there are also curative treatments for the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation cannot be recognized beforehand. However, there are electrocardiographic and genetic markers for the Brugada syndrome and the long QT syndrome. It is, therefore, justified to discuss the possible role of the prophylactic defibrillator to prevent sudden death in these 2 syndromes for which no effective treatment exists. Patients with Brugada syndrome have a high incidence of sudden death, and prophylactic defibrillators are indicated in patients with inducible arrhythmias at electrophysiologic study, irrespective of symptoms. On the contrary, the incidence of sudden death in the long QT syndrome is very low, making prophylactic defibrillator implantation not cost-effective.