Multimedia Gallery
The Discovery FilesKeeping up the Rhythm!
The heartbeat is the core of the symphony that is human anatomy. But when the heart loses its rhythm (arrhythmia), it can be a symptom of a genetic heart condition that causes thickening and scarring of heart muscles. These researchers have developed 3D models of a patient's heart, unique to each individual, that show how the heart skips a beat, requiring an additional instrument such as a defibrillator to help keep the rhythm, while identifying others who would not benefit from the device. Learn more at NSF's "The Discovery Files."
Credit: National Science Foundation
Keeping up the Rhythm!
Hi! I'm Mo Barrow with The Discovery Files, from NSF -- the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The heartbeat is the core of the symphony that is human anatomy. But when the heart loses its rhythm (arrhythmia), it can be a symptom of a genetic heart condition that causes thickening and scarring of heart muscles.
With support in part from an NSF graduate research fellowship, researchers at Johns Hopkins University are working on a groundbreaking solution: 3D models of a patient's heart, unique to each individual.
These are exact digital replicas with all the scars and flaws, computational heart models that show how the heart skips a beat, requiring an additional instrument, a defibrillator, to help keep the rhythm.
The technology could prove far superior to existing prediction methods, ensuring patients with high risk of heart arrhythmia receive a defibrillator, while identifying others who would not benefit from the device.
These 3D heart models could also be used to predict the outcome of defibrillator use, as well as suggest optimal treatments for a broad range of heart disease.
NSF supports the science to design a 3D model of your most precious instrument.
Discover how the U.S. National Science Foundation is advancing research at nsf.gov.
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