A new study published in European Heart Journal—Digital Health, led by King’s College London’s Michele Orini, along with University College London researchers and international collaborators, has found that an AI tool can help pinpoint the cells that are interfering with the heart’s rhythm. The tool could potentially be used by clinicians to better treat people with ventricular tachycardia.

Ventricular tachycardia is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the rhythm of the heart’s chambers is suddenly disrupted. The disease is often treated with ablation, where energy, such as heat, is used to destroy the cells that cause rhythm disturbances.

Before ablation, doctors make an electrical map of the heart so they can identify which cells are triggering the abnormal impulses. However, it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the problem cells, and over 50% of people relapse within one year after ablation because some of the offending cells remain post-treatment.