Cellular determinants of arrhythmic risk in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The most devastating consequence of HCM is sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular fibrillation. The positive correlation between the extent of late gadolinium enhancement and the arrhythmic risk in HCM suggests that ventricular arrhythmias originate from the fibrotic regions. However, recent data suggest that enhanced cellular automaticity (early- or delayed-afterdepolarizations, EADs or DADs-) may be clinically more relevant in promoting ventricular arrhythmias in patients.