Volta Medical, an innovative start-up based in Marseille, is aiming to revolutionize cardiac-arrhythmia treatment through artificial intelligence. They just raised €23 million to develop their new treatment for atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia the world over.

The med-tech firm’s algorithm is based on nearly a million cardiac-activity electric signals they gathered. It allows surgeons to pinpoint the diseased zones in the cardiac muscle, thus enabling them to adjust their surgery with great precision. The tool will most likely be marketed as an SaaS (Software as A Service), depending on the number of patients to treat.

Cardiac arrhythmia affects over 30 million patients worldwide, and their number is expected to double over the next ten years, with nearly 200,000 new cases a year. The problem can lead to palpitations, breathlessness, and even heart failure, and it increases the risk of stroke fourfold. Caring for the most serious, persistent and medicine-resistant forms of atrial fibrillation is a major challenge.

Volta Medical, which was founded four years ago, wants its technology to establish a new standard for care, and is aiming for an ambitious, multi-center international program. A first study, carried out in eight European medical centers, provided proof for the concept, which has already received CE marking and FDA approval.