Dear Colleagues,

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains one of the most challenging tasks in Cardiology, accounting for 15-20% of deaths. SCDs have mostly arrhythmic origin and is linked to a variety of cardiac conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathies or cardiac channelopathies. Severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction LVEF < 35%) and reduced functional capacity are the principal discriminators to stratify the risk of SCD, independently from the etiology of the myocardial disease. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are the most effective therapy to reduce SCD. However, despite the progress in cardiovascular therapies, one half of SCDs occurs in patients without any known cardiac disease, and even when a cardiac disorder has been diagnosed before, in the large majority of SCDs, our capability to predict the risk is limited. Therefore, the aim of this special issue is to highlights novel diagnostic approaches to better manage and stratify patients at risk of SCD and to focus on innovative therapies in this field. We are welcoming Research articles, Case reports, Reviews and Metanalysis on all aspects of research into SCD from preclinical and translational investigations of the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms, to clinical observations and epidemiological studies.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Balla

Guest Editor