HEARTS - Revolutionary system for Equine Cardiac Emergency Care

Equine-specific defibrillator

The Industrial Research Fund (IOF) has proudly approved funding for the groundbreaking project "HEARTS - Horse Emergency Aid and Resuscitation System," spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Gunther van Loon and Dr. Glenn Van Steenkiste. This innovative project is set to transform cardiac emergency aid for horses through the development of the first equine-specific defibrillator.

Interdisciplinary research to counter equine cardiac emergencies and save lives 

The HEARTS project is a trailblazing initiative that combines expertise from multiple disciplines, including physics, electromechanical system engineering, and veterinary medicine. The primary objective is to design and create a defibrillator tailored specifically for equine use, addressing the unique physiological and anatomical requirements of horses during cardiac emergencies.

Cardiac emergencies in horses present distinct challenges that require specialized solutions. The HEARTS project aims to bridge this gap by developing a defibrillator designed explicitly for equine patients, thereby improving outcomes and saving lives.

This interdisciplinary effort not only highlights the collaborative spirit of modern scientific research but also aims to meet the increasing global demand for advanced equine healthcare technologies and services. With the equine industry continuously expanding, the need for sophisticated medical interventions has never been more critical.
The development of an equine-specific defibrillator represents a significant leap forward in equine healthcare, promising to enhance the quality of emergency medical care available to horses worldwide.

Ghent University researchers

Prof. Dr. Gunther van Loon graduated in 1992 and immediately joined the Department of Large Animal Internal Diseases at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University. He obtained his PhD entitled "Atrial pacing and experimental atrial fibrillation in equines" in 2001. He has been a Diplomate of the 'European College of Equine Internal Medicine' (ECEIM) since 2004 and Associate Member of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (ECVDI) since 2011. He is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Large Animal Internal Diseases and has a special interest in cardiovascular abnormalities and internal disease-related imaging.

Dr. Glenn Van Steenkiste received the Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2016, where he received his Ph.D. degree (2020) with the Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine as a Ph.D. student of the research foundation flanders (FWO). His current research interests include signal processing and pattern recognition for biomedical signals and electrophysiology of the equine heart and for the detection of pneumonia in calves.

For more information, please contact:
for scientific background:
Prof. Gunther van Loon: +32 9 264 75 81 or gunther.vanloon@ugent.be 

Dr. Glenn Van Steenkiste: +32 9 264 75 80 or glenn.vansteenkiste@ugent.be

if you want to in-license the technology:
Dr. Sven Arnouts: +32 9 264 73 33 or sven.arnouts@ugent.be