Analysis of bioelectric signals of the heart

The research projects of team Olaf Doessel mainly deal with medical engineering for cardiology. Biosignal analysis is playing a key role.
 As an example, the electric signals of the heart (electrocardiogram ECG) are measured both at the body surface and with catheters inside the heart. For signal analysis new algorithms are developed. Computer models of electrophysiology and elastomechancis (team Axel Loewe) help for better comprehension of the diseases of the heart and they contribute to the design of new methods for the analysis of clinical signals. The objective of solving the “inverse problem of electrocardiography” is the reconstruction of images of the electrophysiological processes in the heart from multichannel ECG data, so that e.g. the drivers of an arrhythmia can be localised. In collaboration with the Cardiac Modeling group (Axel Loewe), we are on the way to personalized modeling of the heart of individual patients, so that new therapeutic options can be tested and optimized in a virtual heart. Using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), the perfusion of the lung with blood from the heart can be determined.

In another research project the options to locally cool the brain of a patient after stroke is investigated. Brain damage can thus be reduced considerably.

All projects of team Olaf Doessel are collaborations with cardiologists and/or medical engineering companies.