An Electrocardiographic Risk Score Predicts Sudden Cardiac Death in a General Population

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This study used data from a general population cohort of 6830 individuals to examine the relationship between electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities and risk of sudden cardiac death. Participants were followed for a mean of 24.3 years after the ECG. A risk score was developed using five ECG abnormalities. These included left ventricular hypertrophy, T-wave inversion, heart rate >80 bpm, QRS duration >110 ms, and PR duration >220 ms. Of the initial participants, 1.4% had three or more ECG abnormalities and 66.8% had no ECG abnormalities. There was a progressive increase in sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk with each additional abnormality. Compared with people who had no ECG abnormalities, those with three or more had a significantly increased risk of SCD (HR, 10.23). In a validation cohort of 10,617 individuals, the risk score also predicted SCD risk with a similar hazard ratio.

The ECG risk score presented in this study was effective in identifying people at increased risk of SCD.