A new study from researchers at Queen Mary University of London suggests that personalised “digital twins” of the heart could improve how doctors plan treatment for atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat that affects more than 1.5 million people in the UK.
The research, published in the Journal of Physiology, examined whether computer models built from different types of clinical data could better identify the areas of the heart responsible for the chaotic rhythm that often drives persistent atrial fibrillation. The findings indicate that the choice of data matters, and that electrical measurements may provide information that imaging alone can miss.
Why the research matters for AF treatment
Atrial fibrillation is one of the leading causes of stroke, and the most common treatment for many patients is ablation, a procedure that uses heat or cold energy to destroy the small patches of heart tissue triggering the abnormal rhythm. While ablation can be effective, it does not work for everyone, and repeat procedures are common in persistent cases.
To improve planning, the researchers built detailed 3D digital heart models for nine patients and calibrated each model in three different ways: using MRI scans that detect heart scarring, using electrical voltage measurements recorded during a cardiac mapping procedure, and using conduction velocity, which measures how quickly the heart’s electrical signal travels across different tissue regions.
Electrical data identified more targets than MRI alone
The study found that electrical data, including both voltage and conduction speed, consistently identified more and different ablation targets than MRI data. That suggests models relying only on imaging may be working with an incomplete picture of the underlying condition.
According to the researchers, the most promising path forward is a hybrid model that combines all three data types. Senior author Dr Caroline Roney said personalised computer modelling may one day help surgeons plan ablation more precisely, but stressed that the technology is still in the research phase and not yet part of routine clinical care.
A step toward more tailored heart care
The work adds to growing interest in digital twins as a way to make treatment more individualised. In practice, that could help doctors identify the most relevant areas to target before a procedure begins, potentially improving outcomes and reducing the chance that patients need another ablation later on.
For now, the research remains an early-stage study, but it points to a future in which planning for atrial fibrillation treatment may be guided by a far more detailed map of each patient’s heart than clinicians can obtain from a single scan alone.
Source: News-Medical
