Medical therapy for sudden death.

Drug therapy can reduce the incidence of sudden death in many subgroups of patients. Patients who have long QT syndrome, in particular, benefit significantly from the use of beta-blockers and other antiarrhythmic agents. Although less useful, drug therapy has an important adjunctive role in patients who have conditions, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Proarrhythmia, which is a potentially dangerous side effect of drug therapy, needs to be watched for with special care in this group of high-risk patients.