How can we improve pacemaker implantation, help patients make informed treatment decisions and optimise procedures to open narrowed coronary arteries? These are the questions that researchers at UMC Utrecht will address together with industry partners in three new research projects. By combining their knowledge and expertise, they aim to improve care for people with cardiovascular diseases.
To translate new scientific insights into clinical practice more quickly, researchers are increasingly collaborating with companies. These public-private partnerships (PPPs) bring together scientific knowledge and industry expertise. The PPP programme for cardiovascular diseases is funded by Health~Holland and organised in collaboration with the Dutch Heart Foundation, the Netherlands Heart Institute and the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance. Three new research projects led by UMC Utrecht will be launched as part of this programme.
An important recent development in pacemaker technology is conduction system pacing (CSP). This technique involves placing pacemaker leads close to the heart’s natural electrical conduction pathways. Researcher Manon Kloosterman and her colleagues aim to further develop CSP by personalising pacemaker implantation and adopting a more data-driven approach. They are working on this project in collaboration with CART-Tech.
The team aims to increase implantation success rates and make outcomes less dependent on the individual clinician performing the procedure. By combining artificial intelligence with various types of medical data, the researchers hope to predict which pacing strategy offers the highest chance of success for each patient. This could improve long-term patient outcomes.
People with cardiovascular disease have an increased risk of experiencing cardiovascular problems in the future. To improve secondary prevention, researcher Jannick Dorresteijn and his team aim to develop a decision tool together with patients. The tool will help patients better understand their risks and reflect on their personal values and preferences. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Zorgkeuzelab and ORTEC Logiqcare B.V.
Patients will use the tool before their medical consultation. The researchers expect this will help patients participate more actively in shared decision-making and express what matters most to them. This may reduce uncertainty about treatment choices, improve treatment adherence and make consultations more effective.
During a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure used to open narrowed coronary arteries, cardiologists must evaluate information from many sources. Although clinical guidelines indicate when PCI is appropriate, performing the procedure remains complex, and approaches may vary between cardiologists. To address this, researcher Michael Dickinson and his team will develop an AI-based digital decision support tool. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Machnet Robotics.
The tool will combine patient information to help cardiologists select the most appropriate type of PCI procedure. The final decision will always remain with the cardiologist. With this tool, the researchers hope to reduce variation in PCI procedures between hospitals and make treatments more efficient.
