ccording to the American Heart Association, 1 sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major health problem that affects between 250000 and 400000 Americans each year. 1, 2 The majority of SCDs are due to cardiac disease, 2 and ventricular fibrillation is the most common dysrhythmia associated with this disorder. 3 Some SCD patients do not have cardiac disease and have structurally normal hearts with primary electrophysiological abnormalities. This group includes patients with congenital long QT syndrome, WolffParkinson-White syndrome, several types of distinctive ventricular tachycardias, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, congenital complete atrioventricular block, and a variety of acquired abnormalities such as acquired long QT syndrome. 2 One of the most recently discovered causes of SCD associated with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation is Brugada syndrome. Patients with Brugada syndrome have structurally normal hearts and show characteristic electrocardiographic (ECG) changes that are correlated with the development of ventricular fibrillation.

The purpose of this article is to review the literature, present a case study, discuss the pathophysiology of the disease, and address the nursing considerations for patients with Brugada syndrome.