Yield of Postmortem Genetic Testing in Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Genetics
• Forensic Genetics
• Molecular Pathology

Background:

• Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) involves sudden cardiac death in individuals with structurally normal hearts.
• Underlying causes are often inherited arrhythmia syndromes or cardiomyopathies, detectable through postmortem genetic testing.
• Autopsy-negative SADS cases necessitate advanced diagnostic approaches to identify genetic predispositions.

Conclusions:

• Postmortem genetic testing is valuable, identifying pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in a substantial proportion of SADS cases.
• This genetic information aids in understanding the etiology of sudden cardiac death and has implications for family screening.
• The findings support the routine integration of genetic testing in the postmortem evaluation of SADS.