# Sami Viskin
**Sami Viskin** (Samuel Viskin) is an Israeli cardiologist and physician-scientist at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center who was a professor at Tel Aviv University, where he is now emeritus; his research centers on inherited and idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias, including long QT syndrome, torsade de pointes, [Brugada syndrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/brugada-syndrome), and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Since 10 January 2019 he has been Director of Cardiac hospitalization ([Cardiology](https://www.edgepedia.org/cardiology)) at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and from 10 February 2020 was Professor of Cardiology at Tel Aviv University, where he is now emeritus.[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) On 1 January 2024 he became Editor in Chief of the *Heart Rhythm* journal, the society journal of the [Heart Rhythm Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-rhythm-society).[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540)
| Key facts | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | Cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology; inherited arrhythmia syndromes[2](https://cris.tau.ac.il/en/persons/samuel-viskin/) |
| Current roles | Director of Cardiac hospitalization, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (since 2019); Professor of Cardiology, Tel Aviv University (from 2020; now emeritus)[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) |
| Editorship | Editor in Chief, *Heart Rhythm*, from January 2024; the journal's third editor-in-chief[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) • [3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) |
| Signature work | "Long QT syndromes and torsade de pointes", *The Lancet*, 1999[4](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699021078/abstract) |
| Key result | Quinidine prevented ventricular fibrillation induction in 22 of 25 high-risk Brugada syndrome patients (88%)[5](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000143159.30585.90) |
| Award | Pioneer in Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, Heart Rhythm Society, 2022[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) |
| Training | MD, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University; cardiology fellowship, University of California, San Francisco[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) |
## Career and training
Viskin received his medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, completed his residencies at Sourasky Tel Aviv Medical Center, and was a cardiology fellow at the [University of California, San Francisco](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-san-francisco).[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) His ORCID record dates that fellowship as a postdoctoral cardiology position from 1 July 1994 to 1 August 1996.[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) According to the Heart Rhythm Society, he holds the Chaim Sheba Chair of Cardiology at Tel Aviv University, was born in Mexico, and lives in [Tel Aviv](https://www.edgepedia.org/tel-aviv).[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) Tel Aviv University's research portal lists him as Full Professor (Emeritus) in the Faculty of Medicine, with publication activity spanning 1986 to 2026.[2](https://cris.tau.ac.il/en/persons/samuel-viskin/) The Heart Rhythm Society's announcement describes him as holding the Sheba Chair, while ORCID records his professorship start date as 10 February 2020; the ESC's profile page lists him at an earlier rank, Associate Professor of Cardiology.[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) • [3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) • [6](https://esc365.escardio.org/Person/145812-prof-viskin-sami)
## Long QT syndrome and torsade de pointes
His signature work is the 1999 review "Long QT syndromes and torsade de pointes" in *The Lancet* ([doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(99)02107-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(99)02107-8)), which set out the clinical framework for the condition: in the long QT syndromes, malfunction of ion channels impairs ventricular repolarisation and triggers torsade de pointes, the ventricular tachyarrhythmia that causes syncope or cardiac arrest.[4](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699021078/abstract) The review identified six congenital genotypes (LQT1 to LQT6) and described acquired long QT syndrome caused by metabolic abnormalities or drugs, with risk raised by female sex, recent heart-rate slowing, or hypokalaemia.[4](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699021078/abstract) It also recognized "silent" mutations causing congenital long QT syndrome, in which the patient remains free of arrhythmias until exposed to drugs that further impair repolarisation.[4](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699021078/abstract)
His related work examined the timing of the arrhythmia itself: "Prevention of torsade de pointes in the congenital long QT syndrome: use of a pause prevention pacing algorithm" (*Heart*, 1998) and "Arrhythmias in the congenital long QT syndrome: how often is torsade de pointes pause dependent?" (*Heart*, 2000).[7](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9149(00)01228-5) In 2000 he also published "QT or Not QT?" in the *New England Journal of Medicine*, a clinical problem-solving paper about a 35-year-old woman referred for palpitations with ventricular extrasystoles on Holter monitoring and no history of heart disease; it argued that a normal echocardiogram is the most consequential information, because arrhythmias are generally benign in the absence of heart disease, while the rare patient at risk for lethal arrhythmias must be identified.[8](https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200008033430508)
## Brugada syndrome, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and the quinidine revival
Viskin's contribution to diagnosing Brugada syndrome rests on sodium-channel-blocker testing to unmask concealed forms of the disease.
The second strand is drug therapy. A 2004 study in *Circulation* of 25 high-risk Brugada syndrome patients treated with quinidine bisulfate (mean dose 1483±240 mg) reported that quinidine prevented ventricular fibrillation induction in 22 of 25 patients (88%), and that all patients were alive after follow-up of 6 months to 22.2 years.[5](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000143159.30585.90) The paper noted that the group had systematically used electrophysiologic-guided quinidine therapy for idiopathic ventricular fibrillation for more than 20 years, and suggested quinidine could be a safe alternative to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy in a substantial proportion of Brugada patients.[5](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000143159.30585.90) An earlier study of 23 patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation treated with class IA antiarrhythmic drugs found that no patient died or had a sustained ventricular arrhythmia during a mean follow-up of 9.1±5.6 years.[9](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-8167.1999.tb00183.x) In a 2009 editorial in *Heart Rhythm*, the authors of "Empiric quinidine therapy for asymptomatic Brugada syndrome: Time for a prospective registry" called for a prospective registry of empiric quinidine therapy in asymptomatic Brugada syndrome, proposing hydroquinidine hydrochloride (Serecor) at 600 to 900 mg/day, with low doses such as 300 mg at bedtime as a tolerability option.[10](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2008.11.030)
## Editorship, societies and honors
Effective January 2024, Viskin became the third editor-in-chief of *Heart Rhythm*, replacing the previous editor after his ten-year tenure.[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/) The Heart Rhythm Society awarded him the Pioneer in Cardiac Pacing and [Electrophysiology](https://www.edgepedia.org/electrophysiology) award in 2022.[3](https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/)
## Recent developments
His recent output continues the same themes. In August 2024 he published "Diagnosis of Brugada Syndrome With a Sodium-Channel-Blocker Test: Who Should Be Tested? Who Should Not?" in *Circulation*.[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) In January 2024 he co-authored a *Heart Rhythm* paper correlating [QT interval](https://www.edgepedia.org/qt-interval) prolongation during atrioventricular block with brain natriuretic peptide levels.[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540) As editor-in-chief he has written the journal's annual State of the Journal articles, "HeartRhythm 2025: State of the Journal," and "Heart Rhythm 2026: State of the Journal".[1](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540)
## Representative work
- **"Long QT syndromes and torsade de pointes"**, *The Lancet* (1999), [doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(99)02107-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(99)02107-8).
## References
1. sami viskin (0000-0002-2623-5540) – ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2623-5540
2. Samuel Viskin – Tel Aviv University research portal. https://cris.tau.ac.il/en/persons/samuel-viskin/
3. Heart Rhythm Society Names Dr. Sami Viskin as Editor-in-Chief of Heart Rhythm. https://www.hrsonline.org/news/viskin-new-heart-rhythm-editor-in-chief/
4. Long QT syndromes and torsade de pointes – The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699021078/abstract
5. Efficacy of Quinidine in High-Risk Patients With Brugada Syndrome – Circulation. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000143159.30585.90
6. Professor Samuel Viskin – ESC 365. https://esc365.escardio.org/Person/145812-prof-viskin-sami
7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9149(00)01228-5
8. QT or Not QT? – New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200008033430508
9. Effects of Electrophysiologic-Guided Therapy with Class IA Antiarrhythmic Drugs on the Long-Term Outcome of Patients with Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-8167.1999.tb00183.x
10. Empiric quinidine therapy for asymptomatic Brugada syndrome: Time for a prospective registry – Heart Rhythm. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2008.11.030
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Researchers in cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine research › Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias › Surnames Lo to Z*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license