Novel Blood Test Predicts Sudden Death Risk Patients Who Would Benefit from ICDs, University of Illinois Study

A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2012 August 26 by Professor Samuel Dudley from Chicago, IL, US. Approximately 5 million patients in the US have heart failure, a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood adequately, and nearly 550,000 people are diagnosed annually. Heart failure is the single most common cause of admission to hospitals in the US.