Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have been awarded $18.2 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop advanced life support components to improve battlefield care for combat-wounded military personnel. The project aims to create an automated system for resuscitation and lung support for soldiers with critical blood loss and respiratory issues.
Led by Principal Investigators Matthew Bacchetta, MD, MBA, and Rei Ukita, PhD, the team plans to evaluate and develop a prototype of the advanced life support system using a large animal model. The project, known as the Innovative Resuscitation and Optimized Novel Multi-organ support with Autonomous ECMO for Non-medical personnel and medics, will focus on providing lifesaving therapy to injured soldiers in combat environments.
Dr. Bacchetta, an expert in advanced lung disease and extracorporeal lung support, brings firsthand experience from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Ukita, an expert in biomedical engineering, will co-direct the development of resuscitation and lung support control strategies. The end goal is to create easily transportable devices that do not require extensive medical training for frontline troops and can also benefit civilian patients in low resource settings.
The research team, which includes investigators from other academic institutions and industry partners, aims to establish the technical foundation for creating a complete system prototype for trials. The automated resuscitation and oxygenation technology has the potential to provide critical care for injured soldiers as well as civilian patients during mass casualty events or respiratory disease outbreaks.
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