31 August 2021

2021 MHSRS Research Showcase

The Military Health Research Symposium (MHSRS) is an event held annually to provide a collaborative space for military medical care providers, academia, and industry to exchange information on industry research and related health care initiatives. It is the premier scientific meeting focused on the unique medical needs of the warfighter.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Geneva researchers to share their work with other military, government, academia, and industry experts and engage in intensive idea-sharing. More than 65 Geneva abstracts were accepted for oral and poster presentations for this year’s conference in 2021. However, due to the ongoing climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Delta variant, the meeting was canceled.

Many Geneva employees have shared their research on MHSRS’s conference website under critical topics this year including Warfighter Medical Readiness, Expeditionary Medicine, Warfighter Performance, and Return to Duty.

We’d like to showcase a few of the MHSRS-accepted studies from Geneva researchers.

Warfighter Medical Readiness

4D Bio3 On-Demand Blood Program: Characteristic and functional comparison of manufactured red blood cells versus donor red blood cells

• Presenter: Orion Furmanski, PhD
• Co-Authors: Furmanski O, Martinez GS, Moser JM, Haupfear K, Glen K, Delaney C, Blake J, Cook J, Thomas R, Church K, Ho V
• Site: 4DBio3 Center for Biotechnology at the Uniformed Services University
• Area of Focus: Cellular Therapeutics for Treatment of Shock and Trauma
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Hemorrhagic shock is one of the most preventable causes of post-trauma death. Improved survival depends upon early control of bleeding and replenishment of blood, notably red blood cells (RBCs). For the military, the vast majority of RBC units are obtained from donor blood drives, typically at military installations in the United States but also abroad. Units of RBCs are routinely frozen, stored and flown to support deployments that are often in austere environments.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03737

 

Development of a potential therapeutic meniscus tissue device using 3D printing with custom ink

• Presenter: George Klarmann, PhD
• Co-Authors: Klarmann G, Loverde J, Piroli M, Gaston J, Ho V
• Site: 4DBio3 Center at the Uniformed Services University
• Area of Focus: Advanced Biotechnology 2021, Emerging Opportunities to Enhance Warfighter Performance, Resilience and Lethality
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Meniscal injuries are among the most common and disabling injuries sustained by highly active members of the United States Military. In general, musculoskeletal injuries, including meniscal tears are a leading cause of combat evacuation and discharge from the service as a result of inability to perform duties. The rate of reported meniscal tears among the US military (8.27 per 1000 person-years) is approximately ten times higher than in the general civilian population. Thus, medical readiness and long-term warfighter health are affected by these injuries.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03063

 

The Effectiveness of Telehealth Gait Retraining in Addition to Standard Physical Therapy Treatment for Overuse Knee Injuries in Soldiers: Preliminary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

• Presenter: LTC Michael Crowell, PT, DSc
• Co-Authors: Crowell M, Brindle R, Mason J, Pitt W, Miller E, Ford K, Peel S, Goss D
• Site: Baylor University – Keller Army Community Hospital Division 1 Sports Physical Therapy Fellowship
• Area of Focus: Prevention and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Injury: An Emphasis on [near-term] Readiness and [longterm] Resilience.
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Each year, approximately half of all military personnel sustain a musculoskeletal injury. The majority of injuries can be classified as overuse injuries, with half of those due to exercise. Running is the most frequently reported injury-producing activity and the knee is one of the most injured joints. During running, a non-rearfoot strike pattern reduces loading rates and knee joint work. Thus, a gait retraining intervention to alter foot strike pattern for patients with a rearfoot strike pattern during running may improve rehabilitation outcomes for patients with overuse knee injuries.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-04526

 

Fabrication in Austere Military Environments (FAME): A Translational Research and Education Initiative Advancing Warfighter Readiness and Resilience

• Presenter: Linzie Wagner, BS, PMP, CRA
• Co-Authors: Blaize-Wise K, Klarmann G, Barnhill J, Gaston J, Church K, Deffenbaugh P, Vellinger J, Chang C, Ho V
• Site: 4DBio3 Center at the Uniformed Services University
• Area of Focus: Advanced Biotechnology 2021: Emerging Opportunities to Enhance Warfighter Performance, Resilience, and Lethality
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Fabrication in Austere Military Environments (FAME), a program under the 4-Defense Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing and Bioprinting (4D Bio3) Center within the Uniformed Services University (USU), is designed to generate value from bench to battlefield. FAME’s vision is to develop a multi-product manufacturing suite to 3D-fabricate a variety of transformative biomedical products for point-of-need and/or telehealth applications that range from equipment parts to wearable sensors to wound care and synthetic biology solutions.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03271

 

Expeditionary Medicine

National Emergency Tele Critical Care Network (NETCCN): Genesis of a Novel Virtual Health Solution for National Disasters

• Presenter: Jeanette Little, MS
• Co-Authors: Little J, Quinn M, Scott B, Pamplin J
• Site: United States Army Medical Research and Development Command, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (USA MRDC TATRC)
• Area of Focus: Technologies and Approaches to Support Specialty Virtual Health, in Denied, Intermittent, or Low-Bandwidth Communications Environments
• Snapshot of Abstract: “In response to the COVID19 pandemic, the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command’s (USA MRDC) Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) conceptualized and fielded a technology based disaster response tools, known as the National Emergency Tele Critical Care Network, or NETCCN.  This telehealth/virtual health solution is based on cellular communication networks, mobile technologies and cloud computing.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03542

 

Virtual Health Research Roadmap: A Systemic Analysis to Establish Virtual Health Foundational Concepts in a Future Multi Domain Battlefield Concept (MDBC)

• Presenter: Ronald E. Yeaw, MS, PMP
• Co-Authors: Yeaw R, Fonda S, Stewart J
• Site: Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC)
• Area of Focus: Technologies and Approaches to Support Specialty Virtual Health, in Denied, Intermittent, or Low-Bandwidth Communications Environments
• Snapshot of Abstract: “The Medical Capabilities to Support Disbursed Operations (MCSDO) Virtual Health (VH) Research Task Area was established in FY19 to focus on the future virtual health (VH) innovations needed in the context of the Multi-Domain Battle Concept (MDBC). The MDBC is predicated on the expectation that communication and cyber systems will be compromised and that prolonged field or casualty care will be required due to limitations of evacuation resources to the point of injury. At the same time, epidemiological research suggests that a nontrivial number of deaths in forward, operational environments are preventable.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03019

 

Warfighter Performance

Acute TBI Diagnostics Utilizing Parietal Intracranial Pressure Sensor Placement in Swine

• Presenter: Brendan Beely, BSRC, RRT
• Co-Authors: Beely, B, Tanaka T, Choi JH, Wendorff D, Batchinsky A
• Site: Autonomous Reanimation and Evacuation (AREVA) Research Program
• Area of Focus: TBI Future Care Today: Optimizing Warfighter Brain Health Following TBI
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Casualties with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neuro-injury represent the most vulnerable population of casualties; they are also the most understudied. TBI is present in 83 % of combat casualties that succumbed to their injuries in the OEF and OIF conflicts. To this end, our research team undertook a study utilizing combat-relevant direct impact TBI in swine to identify organ specific markers to guide future therapy.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-04160

 

Implications of Low-flow Veno-venous Extracorporeal Lung Support on the Coagulopathy of Trauma After Smoke Inhalation and 40% TBSA Burn in Swine

• Presenter: Teryn Roberts, PhD
• Co-Authors: Roberts T, Yu B, Choi J, Wendorff DS, Harea GT, Lee J, Beely BM, Willis R, Zapol WM, Batchinsky AI
• Site: Autonomous Reanimation and Evacuation (AREVA) Research Program
• Area of Focus: Acute Lung Injury in Trauma and Critical Illness
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Advanced lung support technologies, such as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), have been utilized to prevent progression of acute lung injury (ALI) and mitigate mechanical ventilator-induced exacerbation of lung injury in traumatically wounded. Development of ECLS systems that can be deployed to support severely wounded combat casualties with ALI would expand the therapeutic options for clinical management of ALI in deployed environments and may enable support of casualties with injuries currently considered to be non-survivable. A key limitation to development of safe and efficacious ECLS systems for out-of-hospital support of trauma-induced ALI is the high risk of bleeding and thrombotic complications associated with extracorporeal organ technologies, as well as the clinical requirement for systemic anticoagulation during use.” Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-03944

 

Return to Duty

The impact of entry variables on the transition pathway for Soldiers enrolled in Army Recovery Care Program

• Presenter: COL Jay Dintaman, MD
• Co-Authors: Dintaman J, Ebert M, Sorensen I, Hisle-Gorman E
• Site: MIRROR
• Area of Focus: Prevention and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Injury: An Emphasis on [near-term] Readiness and [long-term] Resilience
• Snapshot of Abstract: The Army Recovery Care Program (ARCP), originally the Warrior Transition Program, was created in 2007 to assist in the care, recovery, and transition of Army soldiers who required case management due to complex medical conditions or injuries. Initially, the ARCP consisted primarily of wounded or injured individuals evacuated from the wars in the Middle East but gradually grew to include soldiers with non-combat-related conditions requiring prolonged and multidisciplinary care. Stabilized and recovered members of the ARCP eventually transition back to the force or are medically retired if their clinical condition prohibits further military service. Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-04781

Running Mechanics 6 Weeks Post Conservative Management Using Loadsols for an Active-Duty Female with Lower Leg Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome: A Case Study

 

• Presenter: Teonette Velasco, PT, DPT
• Co-Authors: Velasco T, Peel S, Hulsopple C, Gornoski L, Goss D, Leggit J
• Site: MIRROR
• Area of Focus: Prevention and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Injury: An Emphasis on [near-term] Readiness and [long-term] Resilience
• Snapshot of Abstract: “Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) predominantly affects highly active individuals’ lower legs, especially among military service members. The current treatment for CECS is a surgical fasciotomy of the involved lower leg compartment.  The post-surgical patient outcomes are mixed. Emerging non-surgical treatments with botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) and gait retraining (GR) are alluring alternatives. Continue Reading: MHSRS-21-04103

 

Contact us to learn more about how Geneva advances military medical research.