New method for predicting blood clots in the heart discovered
Posted on: 06/Feb/2017 12:43:46 PM
Scientists from the Johns Hopkins University and Ohio State University in the US have discovered a new method to predict people at risk of developing blood clots in the heart, by using a supercomputer to create patient-specific models of the organ.
According to the researchers, The critical factor is the degree to which the mitral jet - a stream of blood shot through the mitral valve - penetrates into the left ventricle of the heart. If the jet does not travel deep enough into the ventricle, it can prevent the heart from properly flushing blood from the chamber, potentially leading to clots, strokes and other dangerous consequences. The beauty of the index is that it doesn`t require any additional measurements. It simply reformulates echocardiogram data into a new metric.
