NHLBI IN THE PRESS

Researchers spot leading sign of cardiac arrest in a heart scan

Researchers applied a brain imaging technique to detect heart muscle disarray patterns in people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—a tell-tale sign of cardiac arrest that is typically identified post-mortem. The technique provides a non-invasive marker to detect disarray in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

When studying under the microscope, the muscle fibers from the hearts of people who have died suddenly of the condition are arranged abnormally and misaligned. With diffusion tensor imaging, the team was able to track the spread of water molecules within the heart muscle to check for disarray.

Researchers noted that spotting the disarray would allow doctors to intervene prior to sudden cardiac arrest, and fit patients for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator—a small device that can detect arrhythmias and help the heart to beat properly. The study, supported by NHLBI, appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.