3D Heart Tissue Simulation for Arrhythmia Risk Stratification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing and stratifying heart rhythm disorders, such as ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, are invasive, costly, or lack precision, particularly for early detection and prevention.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using a 3D mapping of heart tissue points with local characteristics, simulating electric signal propagation, and clustering inducible sites to assess arrhythmia risk through virtual electrical stimulations, providing a non-invasive and cost-effective risk stratification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If invasive catheter-based ablation is used to treat arrhythmias, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but patient risk and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the patient's heart tissue using 3D imaging and computational modeling. This digital twin allows clinicians to simulate electrical signal propagation and test different ablation strategies in silico before performing the actual invasive procedure, thereby maintaining treatment effectiveness while reducing procedural complexity and patient risk
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary virtual simulations of electrical propagation and arrhythmia induction before the actual ablation procedure. By pre-identifying critical arrhythmogenic regions through in-silico testing, the procedure can be better planned and executed more efficiently, reducing overall procedural complexity while maintaining effectiveness
2Reliability
If implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is placed to prevent arrhythmias, then patient safety is improved, but surgical risk and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses virtual modeling to create a digital representation of the patient's cardiac tissue, allowing risk stratification and treatment planning without requiring immediate surgical intervention. This preliminary in-silico assessment helps identify which patients truly need ICD implantation versus those who might be managed with less invasive approaches, thereby reducing unnecessary surgical risks
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the need for invasive mechanical assessment (such as electrophysiology studies requiring catheter insertion) with computational simulations based on non-invasive imaging data. This substitution eliminates many surgical complications associated with traditional risk assessment methods while maintaining accurate patient safety evaluation
3Measurement precision
If clinical electrophysiology study (EPS) is performed for arrhythmia diagnosis, then diagnostic precision is improved, but invasiveness and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual electrophysiological model that replicates the electrical behavior of cardiac tissue. This digital twin allows for precise diagnostic evaluation of arrhythmia mechanisms and response to potential treatments without requiring invasive catheter-based EPS, thereby maintaining diagnostic precision while eliminating invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system substitutes invasive mechanical measurement (catheter-based electrical recordings) with computational simulations based on non-invasive imaging and signal processing. This replacement maintains the ability to precisely diagnose arrhythmia mechanisms while avoiding the risks and discomfort associated with invasive procedures
4Ease of operation
If traditional ECG analysis or cardiac image analysis is used to evaluate heart rhythm, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heart tissue into discrete 3D points or voxels, each with associated electrical and anatomical properties. This segmentation allows for localized analysis of electrical propagation at high resolution while maintaining an overall system view, achieving both precision in detecting arrhythmogenic regions and computational efficiency for clinical use
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from traditional 2D ECG analysis to 3D spatial mapping of electrical propagation through the heart tissue. By adding the spatial dimension to the analysis, the system achieves superior detection precision for arrhythmia mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation through automated computational processing of the 3D data
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a computer-implemented method for the estimation of a risk of heart rhythm disorder in a patient's heart, the method comprising: (S03) receiving a mapping of points (IH) representing a tissue of said heart and each being labelled with a value (Ti) and/or a classification (Ci) indicating a local characteristic; (S2) simulating the propagation of electric signals from inducing locations (ILj), to which is applied virtual induction protocol (IPk) ; (S3) detecting from each simulation outcome (EAMj,k) whether a self-sustained arrhythmia is induced; (S5) a step of clustering, from simulation outcomes (EAMj,k), inducible sites into groups (Gl) of similar inducible sites; (S6) a step of computing, for each group (Gl) of similar inducible sites (ILj) and from the number (N) of inducible sites of said group, a risk value (RVl) indicating whether a heart rhythm disorder can occur. Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 1