Feasibility of a physical experimental platform to advance research in forward and inverse electrocardiography

Project Description

A new and exciting method of diagnosing heart disease is emerging. Currently the electrical signals which control the heart rhythm are only accessible by highly invasive studies performed by cardiac electrophysiologists placing catheters into the heart. Electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) is an advance and evolving method of electrocardiographic analysis which allows these signals to be determined non-invasively by electrical measurements from the body surface. However, it is extremely difficult to test the accuracy of this new approach because of the ethical implications of conducting highly invasive validation studies on animals and patients.

This IPEM Innovation grant will be used to build an experimental platform on which electrocardiographic imaging techniques can be tested and evaluated by the research and clinical community. The platform comprises a physical model of a patient’s body into which is placed a physical model of a patient’s heart. The electrical signals on the surface of the model heart are controlled by a computer. Using this experimental platform the accuracy of electrocardiographic imaging can be investigated. It will eliminate the need for testing these techniques on animals and highly invasive procedures on patients. It is a really important project because ECGI promises to revolutionise the diagnosis of abnormal heart rhythms by providing rapid identification of the locations of the electrical signals which are responsible for these, sometimes fatal, heart rhythms. To be able to do this with reduced procedure times and x-ray imaging dose, reduces the risks to patients and staff and would reduce overall costs to the NHS.