Digital Twin

[Chinkoflight]

Hi, I listened to a fascinating program on BBC radio from The Naked Scientist team about Digital Twins.

One example was from King's College London Heart team about mapping individual hearts to improve all aspects of heart care. Here is the link to the College's explanation of their work and current and anticipated breakthroughs and benefits.

kcl.ac.uk/news/smartsurgery...

Ther have been a few posts recently about access to treatment that might have prevented a more serious event. Some can be explained by the pace of change and how access to treatments is changing so fast, ie they weren't available when they had fist symptoms.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

What a fascinating article! Thanks so much for posting. What is the exact status of it..,..how developed is the idea? Or is it just descriptive of a possible future application?

It reminded me a discussion I had with my Cardiologist who had been strugglig to get my meds and surgery effective. I asked him if, in effect, he was now just using ‘trial and error’. He was (commendably) not offended but said ‘not entirely’. He admitted he did use his clinical judgement alongside the harder research findings

Digital twinning seems a possible way forward. Or have I got the whole concept wrong?

[Chinkoflight in reply to Kristin1812]

My understanding from listening to the Director talking on the BBC Radio 5 science programme that it was being used to improve ablation therapy but they were looking at all the heart procedures.On a similar theme already advanced and in use

I have a LINQ implanted ECG device which was used to find paroxysmal AFib. It gathers my heart data 24/7/365. It produces a report which is sent from a modem/phone type device via a mobile signal in the night, it is by my bed. I'm unaware of it. I have an additional ' dongle' which I can mark any events during the day if I think something is going on! The data goes as far as I am aware to a computer in Germany which has lots of ECG data. It uses AI to 'learn my profile, activity etc' then compares it with all the profiles. If it sees an Afib event or tachycardia etc it sends a report and copy of the trace to the cardiology team in my local hospital!

It was fitted in February this year. Then in May I got a call from the hospital asking me what I was doing on May 10th at 10:00am!!!! Not a lot looking at the diary! A short burst of Afib was detected and on that basis a discussion was had a day later with the Consultant on the phone and I was put on an anticoagulant!

The reason for the investigations was an out of the blue severe stroke and after all the investigations the cause was unexplained until this finding which is probably the cause. I am unaware of having any Afib events.

She was optimistic that treatments will be revolutionised because of being able to personalise treatment more effectively using the digital Twin as the model.

The programme also spent a lot of time talking to Rolls Royce aerospace engineers about how the development of digital Twin engines enables them to test engines to destruction virtually and fault find in ways previously impossible to spot.

Fascinating - absolutely.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star in reply to Chinkoflight]

Thats v interesting…and I think I understand the link you are describing diagnosing AF, but Im not sure how the digital twin was used, My husband also just told me about a TV programme using 3D modelling of an organ undergoing surgery (the Digital Twin) , predicting where to operate so they missed essential structures that were hidden to view.

Not sure I explained that well, but I will certainly follow the subject now. Thank you for your post.