Newly Identified Protein Biomarkers in Blood Predict Sudden Cardiac Arrest Before it Strikes

Sudden cardiac arrest, or the sudden loss of heartbeat, is a life-threatening heart condition and often fatal. Despite providing an organized emergency medical response, less than 10% of individuals having a cardiac arrest will survive. Hence, there is a need for risk determination, early prediction, and improved primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest. Now, researchers have identified a panel of novel blood biomarkers specifically associated with sudden cardiac arrest. These biomarkers have the potential to enhance the clinical prediction of sudden cardiac arrest.

In a collaborative study, investigators at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles, CA, USA) analyzed a number of blood biomarkers obtained from survivors of sudden cardiac arrest. They compared the results from one cohort of people without coronary artery disease and one cohort with the disease. The researchers identified 26 protein biomarkers associated with sudden cardiac arrest that could improve the prediction of this life-threatening heart condition.

“We identified a total of 26 protein biomarkers associated with sudden cardiac arrest when cases were compared to controls, of which, 20 differentiated sudden cardiac arrest from coronary artery disease,” said Faye Norby, PhD, a research scientist at the Center for Cardiac Arrest Prevention in the Smidt Heart Institute and first author of the study. “While these biomarkers have the potential to enhance prediction of sudden cardiac arrest, future studies are needed to replicate these findings in a larger group of patients.”

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