Computational Modeling May Pave the Way for Personalized Cardiac Treatment

Although one of the leading causes of death in today’s world is sudden cardiac arrest its causes are not well understood. Sudden cardiac arrest is not only impossible to predict it can seldom be prevented. Northeastern's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems director Dr Karma thinks that drugs that are administered to prevent cardiac arrests are unsuccessful because the cardio biological details are not considered in their composition. His study shows that actually a type of gene mutation in humans trigger sudden cardiac arrest by disturbing the heart’s electrical rhythmic signaling. During an arrest the smooth wave signaling gets converted into spirals that reenter the cardiac tissue repeatedly. Some patients have a gene mutation called a long QT gene that elongate the heartbeat and cause disruption. Karma is using computational modeling to predict electrical activity in the heart. But he believes individual factors play a role too. So this computational modeling may in future lead to a more individual cardiac care therapy.