Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and the Likelihood of Cardiac Arrest Outside a Hospital Setting
-
By
-
Rasmus Bork Dinesen
-
Deepthi Rajan
-
Christian Torp-Pedersen
-
Niels Risum
-
Peder Emil Warming
-
Jacob Tfelt-Hansen
-
April 29, 2026
-
Clinical Scorecard: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and the Likelihood of Cardiac Arrest Outside a Hospital Setting
At a Glance
| Category | Detail |
|---|
| Condition | Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) |
| Key Mechanisms | Hereditary cardiac disease with unpredictable clinical course leading to severe outcomes including sudden cardiac death. |
| Target Population | Danish citizens aged 18 to 85 years with a diagnosis of HCM. |
| Care Setting | Nationwide observational study in Denmark. |
Key Highlights
- Prevalence of HCM is estimated at 1 in 500 people.
- SCD remains a risk due to the unpredictable nature of HCM.
- Contemporary treatments have reduced the incidence of SCD in HCM patients.
- The study investigates long-term risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in HCM patients.
- Data collected from multiple nationwide administrative registers.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
- Identify HCM using ICD codes I42.1 or I42.2.
Management
- Consider contemporary medical and surgical treatments including implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).
Monitoring & Follow-up
- Follow patients from diagnosis until OHCA, death, or end of observation period.
Risks
- Monitor for signs of progressive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and risk of SCD.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Patients with de novo HCM diagnosed between June 1, 2001, and December 31, 2022.
Patients with HCM should be monitored for OHCA risk and treated with appropriate therapies.
Clinical Best Practices
- Utilize a matched cohort design for comparative studies.
- Assess covariate balance after matching to ensure study validity.
- Implement preventive care strategies for patients at risk of SCD.
References
