Comments on the"ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death - executive summary"

The purpose of this document is to translate and to comment on the previously published"ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death" The aim is to update the recommendations for clinical practice in Germany. We address the diagnostic procedures (e.g. ECG, imaging, electrophysiological studies etc.) and therapeutic options (e.g. medical treatment, catheter ablation, implantable cardioverter defibrillator - ICD etc.). Special emphasis was put on management of acute ventricular arrhythmias and on the dif-ferent treatment modalities for various conditions (e.g. ischemic cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, congestive heart failure, genetic arrhythmia syndromes etc.). Comments are given in each chapter, including the ongoing debate about ICD indications in primary prophylaxis.