Cardiovascular Mathematics: from the proof of concept to the clinical practice

Numerical simulations have been proven to be a terrific tool for enhancing knowledge and performing predictions when studying cardiovascular diseases since 20 years at least.
However, the step of bringing numerical modeling into clinical practice needs to be completed yet. In fact, beyond the numerous proofs of concept and the extraordinary advancements in image processing and numerical techniques, there are aspects that still prevent a massive use of mathematics as a decision-making support for clinicians.

One aspect is certainly the necessity of a rigorous quantification and reduction of uncertainty so to assess the level of reliability of numerical simulations. This requires methods of parameter estimation and data assimilation in clinical settings.
The second aspect is related to computational costs associated with numerical simulations that it may be too high for clinical timelines. To properly address these aspects is critical to bring Computational Fluid Dynamics to the clinical routine.

In this talk, we will give an overview of the research ongoing at Emory to address these aspects, in an environment where Clinicians, Bioengineers, and Mathematicians are used to working together on a daily basis. We will present basic research in fluid mechanics and electrophysiology as well as clinical applications to coronary disease (bioabsorbable stents), aortic pathologies (dissections and aneurysms) and cerebral aneurysms.
The final goal is to bring mathematical and numerical modeling into the practice of Clinical Trials and Surgery Planning.

This work is supported by ABBOTT Resorb Project, Fondazione Cariplo (Italy), URC Emory Grant 2015, NSF DMS 1419060, NSF DMS 1412963, NSF DMS1620406.