Good news... sent it to my RN wife!
Posted on 07/22/2005 4:51:37 PM PDT by SandRat
MCLEAN, Va. (Army News Service, July 22, 2005) - Two of the Army's top 10 greatest inventions for 2004 have their roots at units that belong to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
The Army honored the teams of inventors from the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio for its Chitosan Hemostatic Dressing and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center from Fort Detrick, Md., for its Electronic Information Carrier at a June luncheon in McLean.
"The ceremony recognizes ... their commitment to improving readiness and the innovative technologies that positively impact Soldiers," said Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. The command administers the Greatest Inventions program for the Army. The winning inventions were chosen based upon their impact on Army capabilities, inventiveness and potential benefit outside the Army.
"Uncontrolled bleeding is a major cause of death in combat," said Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command and the Surgeon General of the Army in testimony before the Senate appropriations subcommittee in May. "About 50 percent of those who die on the battlefield bleed to death in minutes, before they can be evacuated to an aid station."
Today, Army combat medics in Iraq and Afghanistan use the chitosan hemostatic dressing made from chitin found in shrimp shells that bonds with blood cells to form a clot. Medics began receiving the dressings in 2003.
The dressing was created by researchers at the Oregon Medical Laser Center using a research grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Researchers at the Institute of Surgical Research, which has robust research efforts in stopping lethal hemorrhages on the battlefield, tested the dressing before it was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval, which it earned in 2002.
In studies performed at the institute, the chitosan dressing effectively stanched a wound that in the first 30 seconds put out more than 300 milliliters of blood. Chitosan was shown to be effective in stopping or reducing bleeding in more than 90 percent of combat cases, without known complications.
The 4-inch by 4-inch chitosan dressing is well suited for the battlefield and a vast improvement over gauze and pressure bandages traditionally used to stop extreme bleeding, said Col. Bob Vandre, director of Combat Casualty Care research for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. The dressing's durability and flexibility make it "soldier proof," he said. The dressing can withstand blunt force as well as extreme field conditions, including inclement weather, temperature and rugged terrain.
"We haven't actually run over it with a HUMVEE, but it does stay together well, and that's an important factor because we need Soldiers to be able to carry it in their packs and run around with it, fall down on it (without damaging it), et cetera" said Dr. Anthony Pusateri of the Institute of Surgical Research.
Further, chitosan is also antimicrobial, so it kills germs for soldiers injured on dirty battlefields, Vandre said. The bandage poses no threat to people who are allergic to shrimp, he added.
"It turns out that though many people are allergic to shrimp, they're not allergic to the chitin," he said.
The Electronic Information Carrier, or EIC, is a wireless data storage device the size of a dog tag that can store up to four gigabytes of data, including medical records, which historically tend to get lost when they exist solely on paper. After learning of the military's sporadic medical recordkeeping during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Congress mandated the services improve their process, and the EIC offers one solution.
Using the EIC, providers can securely and wirelessly read and write data within a range of 10 meters of medical devices, such as the Battlefield Medical Information System-Telemedicine and the Composite Health Care System II-T.
"The EIC provides a patient-centered data flow so as the patient moves from node to node within the network, the EIC will have the latest information, so if a node fails or isn't gathering data as fast, the EIC will be a reliable source of patient encounter information," said Maj. Tim Rapp, the project manager for the EIC who works in the Army Surgeon General's Office.
A wireless EIC also lets the medic read and write data without having to search a Soldier to find it and physically insert it into a personal digital assistant or a laptop.
"We've always had a need and a desire to capture what we do on the battlefield, disease and nonbattle injuries, medical surveillance, and providing data to support medical command and control on the battlefield," Rapp said. "The technology will actually help meet those requirements of data capture that are seamless to the user. It won't be asking physicians to 'Oh by the way, in between treating patients, we'd like you to fill out spreadsheet X, Y and Z.'"
Storing medical encounters digitally also stems the logistics burden involved in moving 90 tons of medical records in the field.
Adding wireless capability as well as a universally available adapter were just two requirements the military wanted for the EIC. The device's universal physical interface ensures its compatibility with commercial and government off-the-shelf products.
"The EIC will have a ubiquitous physical interface (like a USB port), meaning you will no longer need a proprietary PCMCIA adapter," Rapp said. "If you don't have wireless communication or for some reason there's interference, the handheld will have a port for you to simply plug it in. You're tethered to an 8 to 12-inch chain (if the EIC is around the neck with the dog tag), but at least you have that as a backup and there's no adapter."
During the ceremony, each of the winning teams received a glass trophy and a certificate "in recognition of team commitment to improving readiness through innovation and developing new technologies that positively impact soldiers."
"The inventions ... demonstrate the vast experience within the Army laboratory community as well as a sincere commitment of these laboratories to improving the readiness of our Army," said Lt. Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff and the final selection authority for the program.
Honored for their work with the Chitosan Hemostatic Dressing were: Anthony Pusateri, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research; Angel Delgado, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research; Col. John Holcomb, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research; Kenton Gregory, Oregon Medical Laser Center; Lisa Lucchesi, Oregon Medical Laser Center; Jeff Teach, Oregon Medical Laser Center; Maria Anderson, Oregon Medical Laser Center; Simon McCarthy, HemCon Hemorrhage Control Technologies; Todd Campbell, HemCon Hemorrhage Control Technologies; Jim Hensel, HemCon Hemorrhage Control Technologies; Col. (Retired) William Weismann, HemCon Hemorrhage Control Technologies; Col. Robert Vandre, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command; Ronald W. Palmer, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity.
Honored for their work with the Electronic Information Carrier were: Maj. Timothy Rapp, Office of the Surgeon General; Mark Jeffrey, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center; John DePasquale, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center; Tommy Morris, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center; Mitra Rocca, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center.
Military Medicine Ping
I've been reading about the dressings. They sound like great stuff.
Remarkable
Remarkable indeed.
In other news, members of the Taliban and the Al-Quada were honored for their top inventions.
Ali Al Amediabi was awarded first prize for his invention of a wax based device for illuminating headquarters. He calls it a candle.
Unfortunately, they have not yet devised a way to provide a flame to this newfangled candle.
Achmed Mohammed Mohammed Mula Mohammed was posthumously awarded a prize for inventing a little red button that is attached to this really nifty vest with wires and real explosives. Unfortunately, while showing off his new invention to several friends, Achmed Mohammed Mohammed Mula Mohammed pushed the button.
I know, among other things they're blind and fail to see the big picture.
The Army honored the teams of inventors from the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio for its Chitosan Hemostatic Dressing and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center from Fort Detrick, Md., for its Electronic Information Carrier at a June luncheon in McLean.
Today, Army combat medics in Iraq and Afghanistan use the chitosan hemostatic dressing made from chitin found in shrimp shells that bonds with blood cells to form a clot. Medics began receiving the dressings in 2003.
PETA is NOT going to be happy over this!
Thanks for the ping!
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