Ventricular fibrillation: New insights into mechanisms

Device therapy with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators is currently the only proven effective therapy against sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation. However, the expanded clinical indications for device therapy come at a staggering cost to an already overburdened health care system. Given these statistics, it is both highly desirable and economically imperative to develop alternative therapies. New insights into the mechanisms of ventricular fibrillation, particularly the role of dynamic factors causing wave instability, are providing a promising avenue for developing novel therapies to prevent sudden cardiac death.