Doctors Use Digital 'Twins' to Treat Irregular Heartbeats

Virtual replicas of patients' diseased hearts help guide treatment for ventricular tachycardia, a leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 9:22pm

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Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have created virtual replicas, or 'digital twins,' of patients' diseased hearts to help guide treatment for ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous irregular heartbeat that is a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest. In a small initial clinical trial, doctors used the digital twin technology to precisely target the areas of the heart causing the arrhythmia, leading to better outcomes for patients compared to traditional treatment.

Why it matters

Ventricular tachycardia is notoriously difficult to treat, with a high rate of recurrence even after ablation procedures. The digital twin technology offers a new approach to more accurately identify and target the root causes of the arrhythmia, potentially improving treatment success and reducing the need for repeat procedures.

The details

The digital twin models are created using advanced MRI scans and other data from each patient, allowing researchers to recreate the electrical activity and functioning of the individual's diseased heart. Doctors can then virtually 'ablate' or burn away the problematic tissue in the digital twin to see if it resolves the arrhythmia before performing the actual procedure on the patient. In the initial 10-patient study, this approach led to an 80% success rate in eliminating ventricular tachycardia, better than the typical 60% success rate for traditional ablation.

  • The Food and Drug Administration allowed the digital twin technology to be used to guide treatment for 10 patients in this initial clinical trial.
  • The results of the study were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 1, 2026.

The players

Natalia Trayanova

A biomedical engineer at Johns Hopkins University who pioneered the development of the digital twin heart models.

Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger

A heart specialist at the University of Miami who experimented with more rudimentary versions of digital heart models 15 years ago and praised the new findings.

Dr. Jonathan Chrispin

A cardiologist at Johns Hopkins and the lead author of the study on using digital twins to treat ventricular tachycardia.

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What they’re saying

“This is what we envisioned.”

— Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, Heart Specialist, University of Miami

“We treat the twin before we treat the patient. Did it work? And if it did, are there new things that arise that will require more or different care?”

— Natalia Trayanova, Biomedical Engineer, Johns Hopkins University

“It allows me to recreate the functioning of the patient's organ and then predict what is the best way to ablate.”

— Natalia Trayanova, Biomedical Engineer, Johns Hopkins University

What’s next

The Hopkins team hopes to study the digital twin approach in a larger trial with other hospitals, and has begun a trial using it to treat atrial fibrillation, a more common type of irregular heartbeat.

The takeaway

This innovative use of digital twin technology represents a significant advancement in the treatment of complex heart rhythm disorders, offering the potential to improve outcomes, reduce repeat procedures, and ultimately save lives.