Wednesday, August 20, 2025 8/20/2025

Skin-like, stretchable, and wearable sensors for monitoring QT interval and hemodynamic variables in Atrial Fibrillation

Award Number: F30HL157066
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2026

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Skin-like, stretchable, and wearable sensors for monitoring QT interval and hemodynamic variables in Atrial Fibrillation - Project Summary Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults, carries a lifetime risk of 25-33%, and cost the US healthcare system > 6 Billion dollars a year. Morbidities from AF include congestive heart failure, dementia, symptoms due to decreased cardiac output, and most importantly an elevated thrombotic stroke risk due to blood stasis. Recent advances in wearable technology have increased the capacity and accuracy of AF diagnosis through monitoring heart rate variability in an ambulatory setting. However, there remains no available ambulatory technologies that permit continuous assessment of the hemodynamic effects of AF nor measurements of cardiac repolarization that determine the proarrhythmic effects of antiarrhythmic drugs. Some treatment aspects of AF have remained controversial due to limited efficacy of rhythm control interventions including cardiac ablation and pharmacologic therapy, both of which have significant risks. Pharmacologic interventions using Class III antiarrhythmics are especially risky due to the proarrhythmic effects on ventricular repolarization which can lead to life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias such as torsades de pointes. As a result of these issues, careful assessment of ventricular repolarization, as represented by the QT interval on the electrocardiogram (ECG), is required during drug initiation. This requires lengthy and costly inpatient monitoring during drug loading and difficulties in maintaining the narrow therapeutic window after discharge. Having a reliable method to quantify measures of hemodynamic instability that leads to some AF- related symptoms, as well as continuously monitoring the QT interval and other clinically important parameters in an ambulatory setting would allow clinicians to tailor their care to the individual. This proposal aims to refine a flexible, non-obtrusive wearable system to continuously monitor these key clinical parameters, help in predicting heart rhythm complications and regulate medication intervention for both rhythm control and rate control of AF. A sensor suite consisting of a small, wireless and flexible chest-worn patch that measures both ECG and accelerometer based seismocardiography (SCG) and a wirelessly time synchronized flexible limb unit capable of monitoring photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals will be used. Aim 1 will quantitatively define the optimal location for QT interval monitoring on the surface of the chest. Aim 2 will combine the ECG, SCG, and PPG data streams and extract both unique and time-relational parameters from the signal streams known to be related to cardiac function and hemodynamics, using machine learning to obtain predictions of hemodynamic instability from these complex relationships. Aim 3 will address the use and compliance of this wearable system in a clinical setting against the standard of care during Class III antiarrhythmic drug loading and pharmacologic cardioversion. The results from this study will provide the first ambulatory measures of AF symptoms and responses to treatment, informing future studies and clinical care teams of the dominant bioelectrical and biomechanical parameters that are the most important in the care of the growing, aging population with AF.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $54,538 )
2025	2025	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	5	8/1/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,538
														Subtotal = $54,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $53,974 )
2024	2024	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	001	4	8/29/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,280
2024	2024	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	4	2/26/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$52,694
														Subtotal = $53,974

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $44,122 )
2023	2023	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK STREET	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	3	2/27/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$44,122
														Subtotal = $44,122

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $43,180 )
2022	2022	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	001	2	7/6/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$716
2022	2022	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	2	2/28/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$42,464
														Subtotal = $43,180

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $50,520 )
2021	2021	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	1	2/5/2021	NEW	$50,520
2021	2021	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	001	1	2/5/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $50,520

Grand Total All Awards = $246,334

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Skin-like, stretchable, and wearable sensors for monitoring QT interval and hemodynamic variables in Atrial Fibrillation

Award Number: F30HL157066

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2026

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