What have we learned about cardiac arrhythmias?

No subspecialty in cardiology has undergone a more radical transformation in the last half century than has clinical cardiac electrophysiology. From the creation of the coronary care unit (CCU), with its concept of intensive monitoring of patients who have cardiac arrhythmias, to understanding the genetics of ion channel disturbances responsible for inherited cardiac arrhythmias, clinical cardiac electrophysiology has evolved into an established discipline credited with improving and saving hundreds of thousands of lives. In this review, we will highlight the top 10 significant advances responsible for this remarkable transformation.