A new digital tool will help cardiologists make more precise and personalised decisions when treating ventricular arrhythmias, one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death.
This is possible thanks to the EFICACIA project, led by Dr María S. Guillem from the COR group at ITACA – Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), which has now successfully concluded after nearly three years of intensive research and development.
Funded by the Generalitat Valenciana through the grant CIAICO/2022/020, the project has been instrumental in strengthening a new line of research within the COR group.
The team has developed a non-invasive tool capable of estimating whether a patient’s heart shows signs of fibrosis (damaged tissue) or abnormal electrical activity, using only data recorded from the surface of the body.
A step forward in non-invasive cardiac ablation
The tool represents significant progress towards the future of non-invasive cardiac ablation, a field with enormous potential to improve patient outcomes and expand access to treatment for people who are not candidates for conventional procedures.
To achieve this, the researchers integrated innovative technologies including non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI), artificial intelligence, and digital cardiac twins. Together, these allow clinicians to gain insights into what is happening inside the heart without the need for invasive approaches or MRI.
“If we can make this type of analysis fast, accurate, and accessible, we can improve the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias,” says María Guillem, ITACA Director.
Finally, the team of researchers emphasises that the knowledge and technologies developed in EFICACIA will continue to drive future research initiatives within the COR group.
“Next steps include validating the tool in broader clinical settings and exploring its integration into routine cardiology workflows”, concludes ITACA-COR researcher.
