Change in QTC Interval after Kidney Transplantation; Mechanisms and Outcomes.

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Cardiovascular disease (CV) is the leading cause of mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients [1]. Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), the most common cause of cardiac death in ESRD patients, is defined as sudden cessation of cardiac mechanical activity with hemodynamic collapse, often due to sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. In the general population above the age of 35, the annual rate of SCD is 0.1%- 0.2%, with at least half of these individuals having evidence of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) on postmortem examination [2]; whereas the annual rate of SCD in ESRD patients is far greater, estimated to be 7% [2]. This increased risk is not due predominantly to CAD [3]. Unlike non-ESRD patients, the risk of SCD in ESRD patients has not been shown to be improved greatly post percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft, or with improvement of traditional CV risk factors [2-4].