CIMIT Hosts General Peter W. Chiarelli:
TBI and PTSD Program Leaders Brief DoD Delegation

On July 7, General Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army; Kathy Quinkert, PhD, Special Asst to VCSA - Science and Technology; and others, participated in discussions about critical areas of importance to the military, including better ways to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other issues of psychological health. 

Caption: General Peter W. Chiarelli, Dr. John Parrish, CIMIT Program Leaders and Boston-area experts meet to discuss
critical areas of importance to the military

In addition to the more generalized discussions, the briefing included a series of project updates on fifteen CIMIT supported projects designed to benefit the wounded warrior.  Among those briefing the General and his team were Roger Pitman, MD, CIMIT PTSD Program leader, Ross Zafonte, DO, CIMIT TBI Program leader, and Terry Keane, PhD of the Veterans Administration and noted researcher in PTSD.  Also joining in the discussions were Mark Pollack, MD and Jerry Rosenbaum, MD, leaders in the Psychiatry Service at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In his closing remarks, Dr. John Parrish thanked the General for his time and commitment to improving the care for our nation’s wounded warriors.

 

 

TATRC Leaders Tour CIMIT Simulation Lab

In early July, COL Karl Friedl, Director, Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center and COL Dallas Hack, Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program (Research Area Directorate 2), visited CIMIT for an in-depth briefing on Army medical supported projects at the CIMIT Simulation Group. Leading the presentation was Steve Dawson, MD, CIMIT Program Leader for Simulation and Interventional Radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Central to the briefing was an update of the COMETS project, which will be featured during the team’s August demonstration at ATACCC (Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care). 

On the following day, CIMIT hosted a series of project updates and facilitated discussions for COL Friedl with clinical and technology project leaders in the areas of trauma, hemorrhage control, sepsis and infection, point of care diagnostics, PTSD, and TBI. 

Through its programs, seed funding and facilitation services, CIMIT supports value-added research in areas of importance to the nation and Department of Defense.

 

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CIMIT Innovation Congress Announces Soldier Care
Program Track and Sessions

The CIMIT Innovation Congress 2009 will feature two days of content, demonstrations and presentations by experts focused on care of the Wounded Warrior, October 27-28. The conference program features a day-long track titled "Caring for the Injured Soldier" with the following sessions:

Early Trauma Care - Saving Lives on the Battlefield
Hemorrhage control, sepsis and integrating medical data from site of injury through field hospital and evacuation to an acute care facility remains a major challenge for the military. Explore new approaches to these urgent medical needs of our wounded warriors.

Transitioning Home - Restoring Quality of Life
Explosive devices (IAD's) cause 75% of injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. IAD's tear away skin and muscle. Regenerative medicine accelerates the healing process and enables organ and tissue restoration. Hear how innovative wound healing therapies are showing great promise over traditional medical treatments.

Long Term Care for Brain Injuries - Seeking Insights into TBI, PTSD, and Spinal Cord Injury
TBI and spinal cord trauma are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Learn about new methods to characterize and diagnose the underlying pathophysiologies and how care teams are tailoring interventions to achieve better outcomes that help reduce disabling symptoms and improve quality of life.

The CIMIT Exploratorium will feature interactive, hands-on innovative exhibits and demonstrations of technologies designed to aid the Wounded Warrior. Here you can meet with the teams who are developing breakthrough technologies to improve healthcare for soldiers in the hospital, at home and on the battlefield. An Exploratorium Opening Reception will be held October 27, 5:00 to 7:30 PM for registered attendees. The reception is a great opportunity for attendees to network with scientists, clinicians, and engineers who are designing technologies and systems to improve care for the injured soldier.

CIMIT Innovation Congress 2009
Accelerating Healthcare Solutions Through Technology
October 27-28, 2009
Back Bay Events Center
Boston, MA

 

 

 

 

CIMIT Forum Video: Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan - Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy with Active Duty OIF/OEF Military Personnel with PTSD

SPEAKER: ALBERT "SKIP" RIZZO, PhD
Research Scientist and Research Professor, Institute for Creative Technologies
and Dept. of Psychiatry/School of Gerontology, University of Southern California

Forum Abstract:

War is perhaps one of the most stressful situations that a human being can experience. Such stressful experiences that are characteristic of warfighting environments have a high likelihood for producing significant numbers of returning soldiers at risk for developing PTSD. Among the many approaches that have been used to treat persons with PTSD, graduated exposure therapy involving the graded and repeated imaginal reliving of the traumatic event within the therapeutic setting appears to have the best-documented therapeutic efficacy. This treatment is believed to provide a low-threat context where the patient can therapeutically process the emotions that are relevant to the trauma and de-condition the avoidant learning cycle that maintains the disorder. Dr. Rizzo details his lab's successful application of an immersive Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan simulation for exposure therapy with active duty OIF/OEF military personnel and presents data on 16 of 20 treatment completers who no longer met PTSD criteria after treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Callahan, MD, recognized by DARPA for Pioneering Work in Emergency and Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Manufacture

CIMIT Bioterrorism project catalyzed vaccine work.

A Harvard Infectious Disease Physician and former CIMIT Program Leader has been recognized by the DoD Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) with their 2008 Achievement Award for his work on emergency and pandemic influenza vaccine manufacture.

Dr Michael Callahan, a tropical and disaster medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston was awarded the 2008 DARPA Achievement Award for his technologic breakthrough in the rapid, large scale manufacture of emergency vaccines and infectious disease countermeasures. Dr. Callahan led the CIMIT Biodefense team’s trailblazing work in international surveillance of avian influenza in Asia and the mass casualty management of SARS, Avian Flu and Marburg disease outbreaks.

“The burden of infectious disease surpasses that of every other healthcare problem, period,” Dr. Callahan remarked.

An expert on avian flu and highly pathogenic diseases, Dr Callahan continues as senior advisor to CIMIT. He is currently the Program Manager responsible for the design, scientific direction and implementation of DARPA's large Accelerated Manufacture of Pharmaceuticals (AMP) Program which has the goal of producing hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine, including pandemic influenza within 12 weeks.

The $100M AMP program was launched in 2005. The AMP Program is the U.S. government's largest investment in a core vaccine platform and the only system specifically designed to produce vaccines within weeks of a catastrophic infectious disease event such as a bioweapon attack, or SARS or pandemic influenza outbreak. The AMP program offers the promise that rapid, effective, low cost vaccine manufacture will soon be possible for mitigating any pathogenic agent, and that the manufacturing platforms themselves may be exported to developing countries to counter public health threats such as influenza, measles, polio, diarrheal illness and possibly HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

In making the award, former DARPA Director Anthony Tether stated that "The revolutionary AMP Platforms will resolve Department of Defense public health vulnerabilities by providing a radically reduced low-cost manufacturing system alternative to all current capabilities".

“This is classic example of the power of collaboration to change medicine on a global scale,” said John A. Parrish, MD, Executive Director of CIMIT. Dr. Parrish went on to say “Dr. Callahan is a gifted scientist and passionate physician. His commitment to seeking novel solutions to urgent healthcare problems through technologies and innovative approaches is having a significant impact on patient care. The CIMIT community applauds this well deserved honor.”

 

 

 

 

 

CIMIT showcases four novel technologies at US Army’s Advanced Medical Technology Exposition

Four CIMIT-supported clinical/engineering collaborations demonstrated medical device innovations at the annual Advanced Medical Technology Exposition on June 17-18. 2009. All technologies will benefit patient care for both soldiers and civilians. The four CIMIT exhibiting teams were:

Hand Hygiene Reminder and Monitoring System
Ronald Newbower, PhD; Michael Dempsey
Massachusetts General Hospital

Hospital-acquired infections (HAI's) cause at least 88,000 deaths annually at a cost of $4.5B representing a major health issue for DoD, VA and civilians. Expensive education and surveillance programs produce transient improvement. Proper hand cleansing is the most critical element to decrease HAI’s, but poor compliance for hand hygiene is well documented. CIMIT's solution to this problem is to generate a 'zone of protection' for the patient through a reminder system that emits a quiet signal to care providers in the event they have not washed their hands prior to engagement with a patient. The device also captures hand hygiene statistics for use by hospital administration. This solution has the potential to significantly increase patient safety and dramatically reduce costs.

SmartPad: A Wireless, Adhesive-Electrode-Free, Autonomous ECG Acquisition System
Fred Chen, Henry Wu, Pei-Lan Hsu, Brad Stronger, Hongshen Ma
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Robert Sheridan, MD
Shriner’s Hospital-Children and Massachusetts General Hospital

For trauma patients time is critical, but so is continuous monitoring (ECG, respiration, blood oxygenation and temperature). Making sure diagnostic equipment is properly attached and functioning, however, takes time. Pads loosen, cables tangle and the web of wires for diagnostics can get in the way. CIMIT's solution is to eliminate the sticky pads and cables and create a silastic sensor placed on a stretcher using off-the-shelf materials. It uses electrode arrays as embedded sensors to monitor ECG and automatically scans to find the optimal signal. The system is able to acquire ECG signals for different body orientations and battery powered wireless results in lower noise in ECG signal. This results in continuous cardiac monitoring solution for trauma (in hospital or in disaster settings) and provides a wireless link to a laptop. The SmartPad may enable and ease monitoring of trauma casualties during medical evacuation. Additionally, utilization of this technology holds promise in austere settings where using more cumbersome ECG machines may not be practical (e.g. Forward Surgical Teams, Combat Support Hospitals).

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to Evaluate Pain and Consciousness
Lino Becerra, PhD; Edward George, MD, PhD; Gary Brenner, MD, PhD; Dennis Burke MD, David Boas, PhD, David Borsook, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Patient awareness and pain during anesthesia or sedation carry significant consequences including the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One CIMIT solution detects brain cortical activity associated with pain and consciousness by using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). This non-invasive, real-time evaluation of pain and consciousness poses great utility in potentially mitigating the incidence of surgical-related PTSD, as well as monitoring pain of our wounded warriors, in particular of those who can not communicate.

Medical Device Plug-and-Play Interoperability
Julian Goldman, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Safety Interlock for Patient Safety: Medical device interoperability can be used to integrate infusion pumps and monitors to reduce the risk of respiratory complications. A medical device network manager tracks the presence, absence, and status of devices used, and warns if the network is unable to accommodate a new device. A flight-data-recorder-type data logger captures device data, network traffic, and user interactions for analysis of quality metrics or of adverse events and near misses. The exhibit shows that the use of more than one type of monitor to assess respiratory function may increase the reliability of problem detection while reducing false alarms. The PCA example demonstrated is only one of many clinical scenarios that could benefit from standards-based integrated medical device systems to support innovation in patient safety.