| TAMING THE RHYTHMS OF THE HEART
by Yoram Rudy, Ph.D.
Published in Case
Alumnus Magazine
The Heart of all
creatures is the foundation of their life, from whence all strength and vigour flows.
-WILLIAM HARVEY
An anatomical disputation concerning the movement
of the heart and the blood in living creatures, 1653.
The last two decades
have seen a dramatic improvement in the ability to diagnose, prevent, and treat
life-threatening heart disease. In spite of this progress, heart disease remains the major
cause of death and disability. Many cardiac disorders remain unconquered; in particular,
erratic heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias) claim more than 400,000 lives each year in the U.S. alone. Case Western Reserve University is associated
with a long tradition in the areas of heart research and clinical cardiac care. Basic
scientists, engineers, and clinicians at CWRU have participated through collaborative
efforts in the battle against cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. About three
years ago, the CWRU Cardiac Bioelectricity Research and Training Center (CBRTC) was
founded, with a mission "to foster interdisciplinary research and training in the
fields of cardiac electrophysiology and electrocardiology, to enhance the understanding of
electrical activity and rhythm disorders of the heart and to develop better diagnostic
tools and better approaches for prevention and treatment of these disorders." Today,
thirty three faculty members from six departments (Biomedical Engineering, Physiology and
Biophysics, Anatomy, Medicine, Surgery, and Pediatrics) are associated with the CBRTC and
participate in its cross-disciplinary activities. Within this framework, the cardiac
bioelectricity simulation group
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