A risk assessment device, in particular for the risk of a severe heart functional disorder such as sudden death due to heart disease, comprising an input unit which is adapted to record or read in an electrocardiographic input signal and to output a corresponding output signal comprising a plurality of cardiac cycles and corresponding intervals, and a detection unit which is connected to the input unit and which is adapted to detect events of predetermined nature in the output signal, wherein there are provided a summing unit which is connected to the detection unit and the input unit and is adapted to add up the length of predetermined intervals connected to a detected event within the input signal and to output a corresponding sum parameter, and an evaluation unit which is adapted to evaluate the sum parameter under predetermined conditions and to output a risk parameter which is dependent on the evaluation.