The results of the ARVCrisk.com calculator validation study have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Among the co-authors is Dr Andrea Di Marco, assistant physician at the Arrhythmia Unit of the Cardiology Service of the HUB and postdoctoral researcher in the BIOHEART cardiovascular diseases group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL).
"We at the HUB have made an important contribution to obtaining such a large sample of patients, which is quite exceptional given that this is a relatively rare disease," Di Marco explained. ARVC is a type of genetically based cardiomyopathy characterised by right ventricular dysfunction, although involvement of both ventricles is increasingly recognised. It is also characterised by potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death may even be the first manifestation of the disease. External validation confirms that the evaluated model provides good prognostic information for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death.
Therefore, "the ARVCrisk calculator can be used as a guide for relevant clinical decisions, such as the implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in primary prevention in patients with ARVC," says the HUB cardiologist. In parallel, the HUB team has actively collaborated in the development and implementation of another project in the same cohort of patients, currently in the statistical analysis phase.
Reference article
Jordà, P., Bosman L.P., Di Marco, A. et al, 2022. Arrhythmic risk prediction in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: external validation of the arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy risk calculator. European Heart Journal. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac289 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac289