Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Texas Tech University received $299,954 in funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct a study examining the best practices for treating patients following cardiac surgery.

Hui Yang, PhD, an associate professor in Penn State’s department of industrial and manufacturing engineering, will serve as the trial’s principal investigator. The project, titled “Sensing, Modeling and Optimization of Postoperative Heart Health Management,” is expected to begin September 1 and last until Aug. 31, 2018.

Yang and his colleagues are expected to develop a sensing, statistical modeling and decision-making strategy to help patients after they undergo heart operations.

“Postoperative care is critical to the quality of life of these patients,” Yang said in a news release. “However, once they are discharged from the hospital, there are currently few sensing and decision-support systems that extend to their homes, workplaces and communities, which increases the chance of another cardiac event occurring.”

Faculty and students at Penn State and Texas Tech will work with clinicians from Tampa's James A. Haley Veterans Hospital on this project. The researchers had previously collaborated on a study in which they found there was not much data available after a patient’s discharge and that information processing methodologies must improve in order for collaborative sensing to reach its potential.

“Our research focuses on leveraging Health Internet of Things (IOT) and mobile computing technology to improve smart health and the well being of people who are discharged after having cardiac surgeries,” Yang said. “The success of this project will improve the health of our society and will also help create a smart postoperative system that will empower both clinicians and patients.”