Aman Mahajan, Peter and Eva Safar Professor and Chair of Pitt’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, earned two grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop innovative cardiovascular monitoring technologies.
Mahajan is the contact principal investigator on an NIH Small Business Technology Transfer grant to develop a wearable, AI-enabled cardiac sensor. The funding is shared with LA-based Sensydia, which will partner with the Pitt researchers to develop a low-cost, noninvasive cardiac performance system that can measure hemodynamics without requiring a clinical procedure. The device would allow earlier, safer and more affordable diagnoses, improved surveillance capabilities, more frequent monitoring of at-risk patients and better clinical decision support for clinicians in guiding therapies.
Mahajan and Ramakrishna Mukkamala, a professor in Pitt’s Department of Bioengineering, are also principal investigators on a project to develop an arm cuff that monitors blood pressure, cardiac output, and left ventricular ejection fraction better than existing technologies. The researchers’ “Smart Cuff” will allow clinicians to rapidly diagnose problems and select appropriate therapies conveniently using a single device.