GPU accelerated digital twins of the human heart open new routes for cardiovascular research

Abstract

The recruitment of patients for rare or complex cardiovascular diseases is a bottleneck for clinical trials and digital twins of the human heart have recently been proposed as a viable alternative. In this paper we present an unprecedented cardiovascular computer model which, relying on the latest GPU–acceleration technologies, replicates the full cardiac dynamics within a few hours. This opens the way to extensive simulation campaigns to study the response of synthetic cohorts of patients to cardiovascular disorders, novel prosthetic devices or surgical procedures. As a proof–of–concept we show the results obtained for left bundle branch block disorder and the subsequent cardiac resynchronization obtained by pacemaker implantation. The in–silico results closely match those obtained in clinical practice, confirming the reliability of the method. This innovative approach makes possible a systematic use of digital twins in cardiovascular research, thus reducing the need of real patients with their economical and ethical implications. This study is a major step towards in–silico clinical trials in the era of digital medicine.

Multi-physics simulations reveal hemodynamic impacts of patient-derived fibrosis-related changes in left atrial tissue mechanics

“…Choi et al (29) introduced their methodology combining MRI-based electromechanics and a hemodynamics solver to investigate flow differences in normal and failing canine hearts. Most recently, Viola et al (30, 31) presented a digital twin model of the human heart to simulate left bundle branch disorders.…”

A mathematical model that integrates cardiac electrophysiology, mechanics, and fluid dynamics: Application to the human left heart

“…However, it uses a simplified phenomenological description of force generation, 61 neglecting feedbacks from fiber shortening; moreover, the interplay between heart and circulation is treated by means of Windkessel models. The same authors also provide a GPU‐accelerated version of the same model in Reference [62], obtaining a significant computational speedup, and they extend the model to a whole heart in Reference [63], at the same time presenting a proof‐of‐concept virtual clinical trial that highlights how fully coupled models of this type can have a significant impact on the clinical practice. Finally, in Reference [64] a simplified 2D fluid–structure‐electrophysiology interaction model is developed for embryonic hearts.…”