# Electrocardiographic Detection of Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Events for Accelerated Classification of Chest Pain Encounters (ECG-SMART)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $369,672

## Abstract

Electrocardiographic Detection of Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Events for Accelerated
 Classification of Chest Pain Encounters (ECG-SMART)
ABSTRACT
There is a clear need to develop improved tools to stratify risk in patients who seek emergency care for chest
pain, one of the most common and potentially deadliest conditions encountered in acute care settings. The
ECG has been the mainstay of initial evaluation of chest pain patients, yet is currently only diagnostic for a
small subset of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Our well-rounded and collaborative team has
been working together for the past four years to develop novel ECG interpretation algorithms that can greatly
enhance the utility of the ECG in the early evaluation of acute coronary disease. This line of work is already
substantiated by pilot studies that have identified candidate markers of ECG characteristics and preliminary
algorithms that can identify patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction as well as those with very low
risk of coronary artery disease. With these improved tools, emergency providers (physicians, nurses, and
paramedics) will be able to streamline the care provided to these patients beyond the costly and time-
consuming overnight observation for serial cardiac enzymes and provocative testing. This grant will provide
needed resources for our team to enroll a cohort of over 1,800 patients needed to confirm the accuracy of
these ECG markers and determine their maximal clinical utility as part of a risk stratification tool. It builds
directly on our existing work in this area, which has already yielded necessary preliminary data and multiple
joint publications. Validating this technology will set the groundwork for the future development and testing of
targeted interventions to improve patient outcomes in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9856506
- **Project number:** 5R01HL137761-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Salah S Al-Zaiti
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $369,672
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-15 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9856506

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9856506, Electrocardiographic Detection of Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Events for Accelerated Classification of Chest Pain Encounters (ECG-SMART) (5R01HL137761-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9856506. Licensed CC0.

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