Johns Hopkins Medical Study: Abnormal Heart Metabolism Could Predict Future Sudden Heart Death
The findings were published June 22 in JCI Insight. “We believe this is the first time that impaired cardiac metabolism in people has been associated with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death,” said study senior author Robert Weiss, MD, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School. Medical. “This could open a window for an entirely new approach, a metabolic approach to treat or prevent severe arrhythmias, which are not currently available in cardiology.” Sudden cardiac death accounts for 50% of all cardiovascular deaths in the United States, claiming more than 300,000 American lives each year, according to the American Heart Association. Currently, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) – a small, battery-powered device that is placed in the chest to detect and stop irregular heart rhythms – is the main way to prevent SCD in high-risk patients. The device continuously monitors the heart rhythm and delivers electric shocks, w