In my last post, I admitted that I had trouble finding new areas where computational fluid dynamics (CFD) could be used. Well, I just found one: saving lives! An article in the latest issue of ANSYS Advantage magazine titled A New System for Surgery describes how CFD is used to help conduct virtual surgery for newborns with congenital heart defects. In short, CFD is used to study the effects of different surgical options so doctors can take the best approach. It is very exciting to see that the technology we all employ can potentially save lives.
But something else caught my attention, something extremely surprising and exciting. In the same way that each person has individual facial features, fingerprints, etc., everyone has unique heart, artery and vein topologies. As a consequence, researchers who perform surgical evaluations using CFD have to rely on patient-specific information. In this case, they use patient-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) information to model the patient’s system. Imagine that a malformation is found in a newborn: Information on his or her specific morphology is then gathered and fed to a simulation that includes CFD. Many simulations are performed to determine the best surgery strategy, and then the surgery is performed.
This is truly impressive. This proves that fluid simulations can be customized (in this case to the patient) and allow for optimization (determining the best surgery strategy with the help of fluid simulation).
My healthcare industry colleague, Thierry Marchal, recently discussed this application as an example in a recent post called Virtually Testing Robust Systems: Utopia or Reality?
So I am happy to say that CFD is helping save lives. What do you think? Is my conclusion too strong? Or do you have similar examples?
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Gilles,
I am so glad I read your blog on this topic! And I believe you are absolutely right!
I am working in CFD since 2002 (mainly FLUENT/GAMBIT, later CFX/ICEM and recently also some open source work). So I’d like to think I am not a rooky anymore.
However, 5 months ago, my unborn son was diagnosed with TGA (Transposition of the Great Arteries). On February 14th he was born and on February 17th they operated him in Linz. Very successfully. The arteries are back in place and Paul is growing like mad!
However, before, during and after the operation I felt so useless… I have 3 university degrees, 10+ years professional experience, but I could not do anything for my boy! The surgeons who helped him are magicians and if there was only anything I could do to help them… but there was nothing…
Or so I thought! Your post changed this dramatically. I knew there were some first steps in medical simulation, but what Ansys did here is quite something new!
During that time I learned what you describe in your post: not a single body is the same hence the doctors are facing a new challenge with each new patient, even though the problem might be the same.
I hope that one day, I will be able to help people in a similar situation by using my expertise and knowledge. Your blog gives me hope that maybe one day I can!
Happy Easter.
Ries Bouwman
Hi Ries,
Thanks a lot for your kind comments.
More importantly, I am very happy that Paul is doing great. I wish you, and your family, a lot of Joy and happiness!
Best regards,
Gilles