A new test to identify patients at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is being developed by researchers at Leicester University and Leicester’s Hospitals following a £183,000 grant from Heart Research UK.
SCD is responsible for over three million deaths a year worldwide and is frequently caused by lethal heart rhythm disturbances. Researchers at the University will carry out tests among patients across the UK to see which of those at risk of SCD would benefit from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that delivers a shock to the heart when the rhythm becomes erratic.