CARIM researchers Tim van Loon, Jesse Rijks, Johan van Koll, Joey Wolffs, Richard Cornelussen, Nick van Osta, Justin Luermans, Frits Prinzen, Dominik Linz, Vanessa van Empel, Tammo Delhaas, Kevin Vernooy and Joost Lumens have discovered a promising new approach to treating diastolic heart failure, a condition affecting around 120,000 people in the Netherlands. Using virtual heart models, they found that increasing the heart rate, rather than slowing it, can improve the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively.

In a study with 75 patients, pacemakers were used to raise heart rates by 20-30 beats per minute, producing results consistent with simulations: improved heart function and reduced symptoms like fatigue and breathlessness. The team is now exploring dual-chamber pacemakers to further enhance outcomes. Published in the European Heart Journal, the findings suggest faster research through virtual models could bring this treatment to patients sooner.