Important acknowledgement for the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH) constitutes the achievement of three awards, in an international challenge (www.physionet.org/challenge/2004/), which was held on September 19-22, within the scope of the International Annual Congress on Computers in Cardiology in Chicago, USA, for the research study: "Predicting the End of an Atrial Fibrillation Episode: the PhysioNet Challenge".*

The presentation of this study was performed on 21 September 2004 by F. Cantini of the Clinical Physiology Institute of CNR, and was focused on innovative computerized methods and tools for the improvement in monitoring patients who may suffer atrial fibrillation.

Η παρουσίαση της μελέτης έγινε στις 21 Σεπτέμβρη από τον F. Cantini του Ινστιτούτου Κλινικής Φυσιολογίας της Πίζας, και εστιάστηκε σε καινοτόμες υπολογιστικές μεθόδους και εργαλεία για τη βελτίωση της παρακολούθησης ασθενών με κολπική μαρμαρυγή.

More specifically, on a total of 20 participants to the competition, the Institution of Computer Science of FORTH and its collaborators achieved three out of four forecasted awards in two different categories concerning:

1. The automatic evaluation of the probability of spontaneous termination of an atrial fibrillation episode.
2. The evaluation of the exact time when the end will occur.

The fourth forecasted award was achieved by the "ARC Seibersdorf Research GmbH" in Graz (Austria).

The prizes were awarded on Wednesday, 22 September 2004 by Prof. George Moody, distinguished professor of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

As emphasized by Dr. Giorgos Vrouchos, Director of the Intensive Care Unit & Coronary Care Unit of Venizeleio-Pananeio Hospital, and by Mr. Franco Chiarugi, FORTH researcher: "This achievement is a result of a systematic and long-lasting collaboration between FORTH-ICS and the ICU / CCU of Venizeleio-Pananeio Hospital and the outcomes of this study contribute to the improvement in monitoring patients suffering cardiac arrhythmias, as they give the doctor the possibility to evaluate, immediately and with high precision, the probability of needing an immediate intervention and the probability of having a transitory patient arrhythmia that will spontaneously terminate. The results of this study have high importance because they create the basic conditions for effective home monitoring of patients through the use of modern electronic health services".

*Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia which causes heart asynchronism and over-excitation.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Franco Chiarugi, Software Engineer
Biomedical Informatics Laboratory
Tel.: 2810-391658,
E-mail: chiarugi@ics.forth.gr

See also: http://www.ics.forth.gr/bmi/achievements-gr.html