Short QT Syndrome

A prolonged QT interval has long been known to be a harbinger of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, and long QT syndrome is recognized as a hereditary condition with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.1 A short QT interval, on the other hand, was not considered arrhythmogenic and was seen mostly in relation to hypercalcemia.2 This way of thinking changed after the first description in 2000 of a sporadic case of short QT interval and sudden cardiac death and of a family with short QT interval and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).3