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From the Lab to the Battlefield
Colleagues,
As reported in a recent Military Health System press release ... to get a medical solution from the laboratory out into the battlefield isn’t a drive-thru process.
Steps that a product goes through before it is fielded:
1) Data is collected by doctors and soldiers which generates a requirement.
2) Identify solutions. Good solutions can come from academia, MRMC (U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command) labs, and private sector health care companies.
3) Compete the solutions against each one another.
4) Army Generals are given recommendations.
5) The committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care evaluates and gives recommendations.
6) The Army Surgeon General makes the final decision for major advances.
7) Medics are trained and the equipment is deployed.
8) Follow up analysis is required to ensure that the product is effective.
“It’s a step by step process to ensure soldiers get proper medical care,” said Col. Lorne Blackbourne, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research commander.
First, the project must be funded. Since there are many products, they are put on a priority list.
“Our office funds the products. We look at how much the product will significantly address the wound or injury. Also, the products that will help the injury that more troops are suffering from will have a higher priority. We use research data bases like the Joint Theater Trauma Registry.” said Col. Dallas Hack, Army Combat Casualty Care Research Program Director...
The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR), a subcommand of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, is dedicated to both laboratory and clinical trauma research. Its mission is to provide combat casualty care medical solutions and products for injured soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
While all products require thorough review, the review is tailored to the individual products. Those that will be used inside the body present a particular challenge and the review of these products can take substantially longer than those that are used on the outside of the body.
“We do our own testing. We read up on literature. We also work closely with the Army Medical Department Center and School,” said Dave Baer, director of research at ISR.
“Combat wounds are different than civilian wounds. They have different wounding patterns. For instance, in combat, you receive penetrating wounds not blunt. Military gunshot wounds are from high velocity weapons whereas in civilian trauma centers see mostly low velocity injuries.
Again, in combat, soldiers are involved in explosions and civilians may be involved in car crashes. I say all that to say that soldiers on the battlefield have different requirements when it comes to medical attention,” said Baer.
Some of the top products in the battlefield today are the tourniquet, hemostatic dressing which is more effective than cloth gauze, Nomex gloves which are fire resistant, improved needles for treatment of pneumothorax, and hypothermia prevention kits.
These products are a result of careful study of injuries on the battlefield and close collaboration with industry partners and civilian academic centers...Hack who served as the theater surgeon for Iraq said ... “Our office believes that from our efforts soldiers will be less concerned about healthcare and be more focused on winning the war. It’s a morale builder. I’m lucky to be in this position because I’ve been in theater and I know what the need is. Now, I can have more of an impact on our military. We are impacting civilian medical care as well,” said Hack.
Read on at: http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=746
CC
As reported in a recent Military Health System press release ... to get a medical solution from the laboratory out into the battlefield isn’t a drive-thru process.
Steps that a product goes through before it is fielded:
1) Data is collected by doctors and soldiers which generates a requirement.
2) Identify solutions. Good solutions can come from academia, MRMC (U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command) labs, and private sector health care companies.
3) Compete the solutions against each one another.
4) Army Generals are given recommendations.
5) The committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care evaluates and gives recommendations.
6) The Army Surgeon General makes the final decision for major advances.
7) Medics are trained and the equipment is deployed.
8) Follow up analysis is required to ensure that the product is effective.
“It’s a step by step process to ensure soldiers get proper medical care,” said Col. Lorne Blackbourne, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research commander.
First, the project must be funded. Since there are many products, they are put on a priority list.
“Our office funds the products. We look at how much the product will significantly address the wound or injury. Also, the products that will help the injury that more troops are suffering from will have a higher priority. We use research data bases like the Joint Theater Trauma Registry.” said Col. Dallas Hack, Army Combat Casualty Care Research Program Director...
The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR), a subcommand of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, is dedicated to both laboratory and clinical trauma research. Its mission is to provide combat casualty care medical solutions and products for injured soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
While all products require thorough review, the review is tailored to the individual products. Those that will be used inside the body present a particular challenge and the review of these products can take substantially longer than those that are used on the outside of the body.
“We do our own testing. We read up on literature. We also work closely with the Army Medical Department Center and School,” said Dave Baer, director of research at ISR.
“Combat wounds are different than civilian wounds. They have different wounding patterns. For instance, in combat, you receive penetrating wounds not blunt. Military gunshot wounds are from high velocity weapons whereas in civilian trauma centers see mostly low velocity injuries.
Again, in combat, soldiers are involved in explosions and civilians may be involved in car crashes. I say all that to say that soldiers on the battlefield have different requirements when it comes to medical attention,” said Baer.
Some of the top products in the battlefield today are the tourniquet, hemostatic dressing which is more effective than cloth gauze, Nomex gloves which are fire resistant, improved needles for treatment of pneumothorax, and hypothermia prevention kits.
These products are a result of careful study of injuries on the battlefield and close collaboration with industry partners and civilian academic centers...Hack who served as the theater surgeon for Iraq said ... “Our office believes that from our efforts soldiers will be less concerned about healthcare and be more focused on winning the war. It’s a morale builder. I’m lucky to be in this position because I’ve been in theater and I know what the need is. Now, I can have more of an impact on our military. We are impacting civilian medical care as well,” said Hack.
Read on at: http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=746
CC
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