Heart

Erasmus Medical Center Cardiologists, neurologists and radiologists have joined forces with TU Delft scientists and students. Within the CardioVascular Biomechanics Lab (CVBL), they research heart and blood vessels biomechanics, unlocking synergies that can accelerate the development and implementation of technological innovations. The first results have already emerged.

Erasmus MC participates in scientific studies of ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This is a form of life support that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs.

Nico Bruining and his team are the go-to people in the Erasmus MC for anything that has to do with computers and cardiology. Artificial intelligence has given their discipline a boost. ‘We build the technology of tomorrow, which we would have liked to have yesterday.’

Researchers at Erasmus MC are able to keep slices of human heart tissue alive for several months in the laboratory. This enables them to test patient-specific treatments for heart failure and arrhythmia and possibly predict early rejection of donor hearts in the future.

About 25,000 children and 50,000 adults with a congenital heart defect are living in the Netherlands. A team of experts at the Erasmus MC provides them with specialized care and studies how their care can be improved.