CardioDx and leading cardiologists are conducting an ongoing, prospective, multi-center clinical study in the area of cardiac arrhythmia called DISCERN (Diagnostic Investigation of Sudden Cardiac Event Risk).
The DISCERN study aims to develop and validate a genetics-based non-invasive test that will help stratify patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) as an adjunct to currently used methods. This approach may provide cardiologists treating patient at risk for sudden cardiac death with a superior approach when deciding which patients would most benefit from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
Arrhythmias may be precipitated by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Establishing increased risk for arrhythmias before a severe life-threatening event is critically important so that appropriate preventive strategies can be implemented. However, this remains a significant medical challenge. Several genetic mutations associated with rare, inherited arrhythmia disorders have been identified.1 The aim of the DISCERN study is to identify novel genetic and other biological markers that distinguish patients at increased risk for lethal ventricular arrhythmias in a broader population.2
For more information about the DISCERN study, see clinicaltrials.gov.
- Vincent G M, Timothy K W, Leppert M, Keating M. The spectrum of symptoms and QT intervals in carriers of the gene for the long-QT syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:846–852.
- Jouven X, Desnos M, Guerot C, Ducimetière P. Predicting sudden death in the population – The Paris Prospective Study I. Circulation. 1999;99:1978–1983.
