Scan spots signs of future cardiac arrest in young people

Researchers that we fund have developed a new way of analysing information from MRI heart scans which could help doctors spot people at risk of dying from a sudden cardiac arrest in the inherited heart condition, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people.

In new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Oxford University Radcliffe Department of Medicine researchers reveal that an MRI scan can spot 'disarray' in heart muscle fibres, a potential tell-tale sign of future cardiac arrest in HCM. Until now, the disarray of these fibres could only be spotted after death during a post-mortem examination. This new technique could allow doctors to intervene before a potentially fatal cardiac arrest by inserting an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device which can shock the heart back into a normal rhythm when needed.

Cutting-edge, research-led technology

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited heart condition where part of the heart muscle becomes much thicker, it affects 1 in 500 people worldwide.

The lead author, Dr Rina Ariga, who is funded by a British Heart Foundation Research Training Fellowship commented on the findings.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to assess disarray non-invasively in living patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” said Dr Ariga. “We’re hopeful that this new scan will improve the way we identify high-risk patients, so that they can receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator early to prevent sudden death.”

“We now need to work on making this scan shorter and faster for patients so that we can test its utility in a large multicentre study.”

Our Associate Medical Director, Professor Metin Avkiran also commented on the findings.

“Every week in the UK, 12 people under the age of 35 die following sudden cardiac arrest. Many of these deaths are due to inherited heart conditions, of which hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common.”

“This exciting research opens up the possibility of using a non-invasive scan to better spot heart muscle changes in people with HCM, find those at risk of a sudden cardiac arrest and ensure they receive the best preventative care.

“Although further work is needed to refine and test this scan, its potential benefit to patients with HCM is huge. This work is an excellent example of cutting-edge, research-led technology that could change the way we diagnose and treat heart and circulatory diseases.”

Read about our past successes in HCM research