Introduction :
During this workshop, we will discuss the ethical, legal and practical issues of conducting post-mortem genetic testing with the ultimate aim of drafting European recommendations. We will focus on the case of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults (less than 40 years of age) and aim to elaborate recommendations to aid in the inclusion of such testing in autopsy procedures in Europe. To date, attempts at incorporating genetic testing for sudden cardiac death in autopsy procedures has faced a number of challenges, including legal and ethical challenges, as well as very practical issues such as financial questions (who will pay for this?) and (mis)communication obstacles (pathologists and geneticists being unaware of the issues and unable to discuss and find applicable solutions).
We will gather an international multidisciplinary group of experts to discuss these challenges in order to find potential solutions. Clear and constructive recommendations on post-mortem genetic testing for SCD will not only help in the context of this disorder but may also prove to be useful for other medical disorders.