Sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: can we really influence the risks

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common hereditary myocardial disease and the leading cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults. In recent decades, the primary method for preventing SCD has been implantation of cardioverter-defibrillator. Septal myectomy as a treatment option for obstructive HCM and drug-resistant symptoms is increasingly demonstrating additional protective effect on the risk of malignant arrhythmias. In this article, we examine whether surgical intervention can alter trajectory of arrhythmogenic risk and how treatment outcomes compare with performance of primary stratification tool (HCM Risk-SCD calculator).