2023-09-18 15:41:07
A mathematical model of the heart to revolutionize cardiac research and define new treatments. It is called iHeart Simulator and was developed entirely at the Polytechnic University of Milan as part of a project financed by an EU ERC Advanced Grant, the result of collaboration between Mox laboratories of the Department of Mathematics and LaBS of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘Giulio Natta’. The objective of the study programme, coordinated by teacher Alfio Quarteroni and lasting from 2017 to 2023, was to develop “the first complete mathematical model of the human heart and its pathologies”. The results are published in ‘Nature Scientific Reports’.
What makes iHeart Simulator unique – they explain from PoliMi in a note – is its ability to integrate the complex processes of electromechanics, hemodynamics and cardiac perfusion into a single platform. This level of integration offers unprecedented biophysical precision in simulating cardiac function and related pathologies. One of the most innovative aspects of the research project is the application of this model to the analysis of coronary pathologies, such as ischemia and acute myocardial infarction. Thanks to the iHeart Simulator it will be possible to study these diseases in a more detailed and accurate way, paving the way for new therapies.
In collaboration with the Irccs San Raffaele hospital in Milan and with the Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano (Milan) – continues the note – the iHeart project has also developed mathematical models to understand cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation. These models have allowed us to identify key factors for the onset and maintenance of arrhythmias. It was thus verified how cardiac mathematics is able to support and consolidate the electrophysiological study in the localization of the intervention zones on the heart wall. Furthermore, increasingly rapid algorithms are at an advanced stage of development, which will allow this type of analysis to be carried out in real time, significantly speeding up the decision-making process of the intervention.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Sacco hospital in Milan, a model has been developed that guides cardiac surgeons in removing part of the interventricular septum to treat obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The mathematical simulation is part of the pre-operative phase, and has been considered by doctors as an effective guidance tool for the delicate operation. Finally, in collaboration with the Santa Maria del Carmine hospital in Rovereto (Trento), a mathematical tool was created to optimize cardiac resynchronization therapy. This reduces the left ventricular mapping time required to implant a resynchronization device, and therefore the patient’s exposure time to invasive treatment, and guides catheter placement in the most curative location for the decompensated patient.
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