Role of the electrocardiogram in identifying the patient at increased risk for sudden death.

Published data dealing with the electrocardiogram as a means of identifying individuals at increased risk for sudden death are meager. The available information suggests that the sensitivity of the electrocardiogram in association with other signs of heart disease is relatively good and that this may vary with the severity of the underlying disease. In contrast, its specificity for sudden death is poor; many patients with abnormal electrocardiograms do not die suddenly or of cardiac causes. The prognosis of any electrocardiographic abnormality is that of the underlying disease.