ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — University of Michigan researchers are betting artificial intelligence could help save more lives during cardiac arrest—and the American Heart Association is backing the idea with a $5.5 million grant.

The two-year award will help UM’s Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation develop a “wearable sensor” designed to give real-time feedback during CPR, The Detroit News reported. The device, called INSIGHT-CPR, wraps around a patient’s wrist or finger and transmits blood pressure data to first responders—helping them adjust chest compressions and medications on the fly.

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Dr. Cindy Hsu, who leads the project, said today’s CPR protocols are largely “one-size-fits-all.” 

“For other big killers like cancer, we know the patient’s tumor genetics and can tailor treatments accordingly,” Hsu said. “But for cardiac arrest, every patient gets the same exact resuscitation protocol regardless of their individual physiology.”

Right now, blood pressure is typically measured with a catheter, which is difficult to insert mid-CPR. The INSIGHT-CPR device aims to bypass that barrier entirely. 

UM researchers will collaborate with Michigan Medicine, the UM College of Engineering, and several national and international partners—including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the East Anglian Air Ambulance in the U.K.—to develop and test the sensor.

A commercial version is still years away and will require both animal trials and FDA approvals. But if successful, Hsu believes the tech could be used in ambulances, hospitals, and even battlefield settings.

“Even if we make just a 10% improvement in survival outcomes, that saves 60,000 adult lives and 2,000 pediatric lives every year,” she said.

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UM’s grant is part of a larger $10.5 million initiative from the American Heart Association, which also awarded funds to California-based Kaiser Permanente to explore other AI-driven tools for cardiovascular care.