Biomarkers in electrophysiology: role in arrhythmias and resynchronization therapy.

Circulating biomarkers related to inflammation, neurohormones, myocardial stress, and necrosis have been associated with commonly encountered arrhythmic disorders such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and more malignant processes including ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Both direct and indirect biomarkers implicated in the heart failure cascade have potential prognostic value in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). This review will focus on the role of biomarkers in AF, history of SCD, and CRT with an emphasis to improve clinical risk assessment for arrhythmias and patient selection for device therapy. Notably, information obtained from biomarkers may supplement traditional diagnostic and imaging techniques, thus providing an additional benefit in the management of patients.