Signal and image processing methods for studying human ventricular fibrillation

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The heart is a versatile electro-mechanical organ that is driven by autonomously generated rhythmic electrical pulses within it. When the electrical generation or conduction system of the heart malfunctions or is diseased, the heart quivers with arrhythmic and chaotic contractions, resulting in ineffective or cessation of blood circulation to vital organs. This medical condition in general is termed as cardiac arrhythmia. When this happens in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart responsible for pushing out blood), a serious medical condition called ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurs. VF, if untreated within minutes of its occurrence, leads to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Every year in North America about 350,000 SCDs (with 45,000 of them in Canada, i.e. an SCD every 12 minutes) are reported, most of which are VF related. In spite of its importance, and active research over 100 years, the mechanism behind human VF is still elusive because of the non-stationary nature of the process and ethical/practical limitations in studying human VF.