Predicting Successful Surgeries

Bioengineers Combine Mathematical Equations, Data to Simulate Surgeries

STANFORD, Calif.--People are as different on the inside as they are on the outside, making it difficult to predict which heart surgery will help which patient. Now, a new, high-tech approach may predict which patients will and will not have successful surgeries.
Heart attack survivor, David Lesesky says, "When I started having problems, I just didn't want to take the chance." He didn't take a chance. Lesesky made it through the heart attack and survived surgery and is doing just fine. The outcome, however, is not always the same: Each patient and each surgery brings its own risks

"The question we have for this patient is that would she benefit from a procedure -- bypass procedure -- to improve blood flow down to the legs?" Taylor says after examining a patient's 3D model on the computer. The yellow on the model shows the potential bypass path. When blood flow is simulated, it's revealed that two of the vessels going into the legs were clotted off -- the surgery would not have been successful.
"What it will mean for the patient is fewer operations -- conceivably more successful operations," Taylor says. And it will help keep hearts beating -- longer.
The computer model is being tested right now, retrospectively, on patients who are already planning to have surgery. So far results show it will be successful in predicting the outcome of cardiovascular surgeries

Posted in: Science News