Short QT Syndrome: a familial cause of sudden death.

BACKGROUND: A prolonged QT interval is associated with a risk for life-threatening events. However, little is known about prognostic implications of the reverse-a short QT interval. Several members of 2 different families were referred for syncope, palpitations, and resuscitated cardiac arrest in the presence of a positive family history for sudden cardiac death. Autopsy did not reveal any structural heart disease. All patients had a constantly and uniformly short QT interval at ECG. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six patients from both families were submitted to extensive noninvasive and invasive work-up, including serial resting ECGs, echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, exercise testing, Holter ECG, and signal-averaged ECG. Four of 6 patients underwent electrophysiological evaluation including programmed ventricular stimulation. In all subjects, a structural heart disease was excluded. At baseline ECG, all patients exhibited a QT interval