Computer-Aided Diagnosis and Cardiac Surgery

A newborn is diagnosed with a heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome in which the left ventricle of the heart is severely underdeveloped, and requires immediate surgery. While there are different surgical options to consider, parents and doctors face a daunting decision of selecting the best procedure, as each poses its own unique benefits and risks. However, today’s advanced technology, like simulation, allow doctors to virtually “clone” the newborn, create an accurate computer model of its heart, run several virtual surgeries, and determine the best type of implantable device in order to determine the outcome of each protocol and select the safest option for actual surgery.