Med. praxi. 2025;22(5):324-328 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2025.063

Sudden cardiac death, what we need to know

MUDr. Alice Krebsová, Ph.D.¹, Mgr. Eva Kutílková, Ph.D.¹, Mgr. Šárka Nováková¹, MUDr. Štěpánka Pohlová Kučerová, Ph.D.²

¹ Centrum dědičných kardiovaskulárních onemocnění, Klinika kardiologie, IKEM, Praha

² Ústav soudního lékařství LF UK a FN Hradec Králové

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in individuals under 50 years of age is caused in a signifi­cant percentage by hereditary cardiovascular disease. Identification of these cases, post-mortem genetic testing and family cascade screening is the first step towards primary prevention of sudden death in relatives at risk and requires multidisciplinary and multicentric care. Finding a certain hereditary cause of sudden death is generally possible in about 20 % of cases, however, in families with a positive history of sudden death or heart failure and/or malignant arrhythmias, genetic testing is successful in up to half of the families. In the Czech Republic, a grant project has managed to establish a multidisciplinary team and establish multicentric cooperation to address these cases. The results of the project for SCD correspond to the outcomes of international studies, underline the interest of relatives and point to the indisputable benefit for their health. The contribution of general practitioners to recognizing cases of hereditary cardiovascular diseases, informing relatives and recognizing their risks, including sending them to an expert center, is indisputable and irreplaceable.

Keywords: sudden cardiac death, genetic analysis, hereditary cardiovascular diseases, cascade family screening, prevention.

Received: July 10, 2025; Revised: August 7, 2025; Accepted: August 7, 2025; Published: December 1, 2025  Show citation