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Project

Noninvasive Electrocardiographic Imaging for Improved Mechanistic Understanding and Risk Stratification of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias (R-8217)

Heart-rhythm disorders remain a major cause of morbidity. In severe cases, they can precipitate ventricular fibrillation, resulting in sudden cardiac arrest/death (SCA/SCD). Importantly, SCD underlies two-thirds of the sudden deaths in individuals under the age of 40 years. However, in a majority of these patients, no structural cause (e.g., scar from myocardial infarction) can be found. In this doctorate project, we will combine advanced noninvasive imaging methods with computer models to investigate non-structural (i.e., purely electrical) causes of arrhythmias. A novel imaging method, called ECG-imaging (ECGI), will be employed in patient populations with ventricular tachycardia and/or susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation known to cardiologists in Maastricht and Hasselt. This method allows investigating the electrical characteristics in much more detail than has been possible before with standard clinical tools. Invasive electrophysiological recordings will be used to validate noninvasive ECGI reconstructions in patients in whom a cardiogenetic diagnosis is also often made. Moreover, by integrating electrical characteristics in computer models of electrical heart activity at the cellular, tissue and organ level, we will create a patient-specific computer model in which the determinants of arrhythmias can be examined virtually. This will lead to better understanding of the arrhythmogenic mechanisms in patients and their family members, improving diagnosis and therapy, and preventing SCD.
Date:1 Sep 2017 →  31 Aug 2021
Keywords:heart-rhythm disorders
Disciplines:Cardiac and vascular medicine
Project type:Collaboration project