Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for about 50% of all cardiovascular mortalityin developed countries with a survival rate of 1–2% despite modern health serviceprovision. Early defibrillation with very simple automatic or semiautomatic machinesis nowadays feasible and affordable by almost everyone, and could enhance survivalto more than 10–20%. Today, however, there is a lack of interest from the medical andscientific community in this issue. While the mass media, politicians, and the scientificcommunity are appalled by cancer and rare diseases, SCD is not considered as shockingdespite being the “silent killer” of the Western world.