And this could help doctors diagnose heart rhythm problems in patients. Elaine Chew, a pianist and professor of digital media at Queen Mary University of London, is analysing heartbeat patterns in patients with rhythm disorders — called arrhythmias — and turning them into pieces of classical music. It was while undergoing a procedure to treat her own atrial fibrillation last year, aged 46, that Professor Chew really noticed the significance of heartbeat rhythm. ‘I had a different heart rhythm disorder, tachycardia, years before and, this time, it felt and sounded different,’ she says. To Professor Chew, these were not dissimilar to music patterns.

Source: Daily Mail December 12, 2017 01:21 UTC