目前對於突發性心因性死亡的定義為自發、快速、一小時內發生症狀，導致無預期的心因性死亡。突發性心因性死亡難以預測，也難以知道發生當下的心律，而血液透析病患在長期血液透析的過程中，常發生突發性心因性死亡，因此，對於血液透析病患來說，預防突發性心因性死亡的發生相對重要。在病生理學方面，會出現突發性心因性死亡通常包含衰弱的心臟(vulnerable heart)、促心律不整因子(proarrhythmic trigger)及終末心律不整(terminal arrythmia)。在血液透析的病患中，低輸出性心衰竭的比例並不若一般族群來的高，反而是心肌肥大引起的舒張性心衰竭比較常見。心律不整的誘發因子，包括過高或過低的血鉀濃度、透析中電解質不平衡、急性心肌梗塞的病史。因此造成的終末心律不整(terminal arrhythmia)，如心室心律不整(ventricular arrhythmia)、心搏過緩(bradyarrhythmia)都可能增加死亡的機會。預防血液透析病人突發性心因性死亡的方法包括避免過快的移除鉀離子或水分、避免血鈣濃度過高或過低、降低透析液溫度、增加透析次數。至於乙型受體阻斷劑、腎素-血管收縮素-醛固酮系統拮抗劑(Antagonist of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system)及HMG-CoA還原酶抑制劑(Statin)對於發生突發性心因性死亡的預防，目前仍無確切的證據。

Sudden cardiac death is difficult to predict, and it is difficult to know the rhythm at the moment of occurrence. Sudden cardiac death often occurs to the patient with long-term hemodialysis. Therefore, the prevention of sudden cardiac death is important for hemodialysis patients. In pathophysiology, sudden cardiac death usually involves vulnerable heart, arrhythmogenic factors, and terminal arrythmia. Among hemodialysis patients, the proportion of low-output heart failure is not as much as in the general population, but rather diastolic heart failure caused by myocardial hypertrophy is more common. Arrhythmogenic factors including level of potassium concentrations, different dialysate, history of acute myocardial infarction. Terminal arrythmia, such as ventricular arrhythmia and bradyar-rhythmia, may increase the risk of death. As the result, prevention of sudden cardiac death in hemodialysis patients includes avoiding rapid removal of potassium level or fluid, avoiding too high or too low calcium levels, lowering dialysate temperature, and increasing dialysis frequency. As for the prevention of sudden cardiac death by beta-blockers, Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone antagonist and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (Statin), there is still no conclusive evidence.