From the Aphorisms of Hippocrates to the sports fields of the twenty-first century, by both the lay public and the medical community, the cardiomyopathies have been recognized as causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Prevention of SCD in the cardiomyopathies is a 2-fold challenge. First, and central to clinical practice, is the need for reliable prognostication in individuals with established d...

From the Section of Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (R.D.); Division of Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Arrhythmia Prevention, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA (C.M.A.). Correspondence to Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH, Division of Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Ar...

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young athlete commonly brings to the forefront the many gaps in knowledge regarding how to predict and prevent these rare tragic events.1–3 Although the number of athletic sudden deaths is relatively small, with 100 to 150 competitive deaths during sports in the United States annually, they represent an important and emotionally charged public health issue, perha...