The Loadout Room
Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • 1A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
        • The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventuresThe Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures
        • maxim defense cqb stock (8)The Maxim Defense CQB Stock: Short and Sweet
        • Perfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG wayPerfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG way
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • RIP-MVehicle Preparedness: Fast access to essential items | Grey Man Tactical RIP-M
        • Midland radioOverland Essential | Midland Radio MXT275 | GXT1000
        • ppGrab your gear and go | Here’s everything you’d need to build an adventure go bag
        • Scrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the fieldScrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the field
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stingerThe Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
        • How to determine how long you have before the sun setsHow to determine how long you have before the sun sets
        • fireWilderness survival expert breaks down how to build a fire
        • 5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt, SWAT Tested and Approved
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Shop

When lives are on the line: Combat medicine and how it can be improved

When lives are on the line: Combat medicine and how it can be improved

February 27, 2019 by Loadout Room Guest Authors Leave a Comment

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rose Gudex

Throughout history, combat has been a brutal and destructive experience that leaves visible and invisible wounds on anyone who engages in the fighting. Although modern technology has done marvels in making warfare more “humane,” war-fighters are still facing catastrophic injuries in their muscles, bones, skin, and nerves if they are wounded. For those fortunate enough to survive a combat wound, the recovery process is often a long and painful experience despite advancements in modern medicine. At times of heightened operational tempo, that long recovery process, which can take from a couple of months to years, starves frontline units from essential resources—as that’s what war-fighters are, ultimately.

To address this, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is planning to utilize and integrate the latest advances in actuators, biosensors, and artificial intelligence to improve the regeneration of damaged tissue and exponentially speed up the recovery process of a wounded warrior. More specifically, the Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration (BETR), one of DARPA’s newest projects, is looking for scientists who can develop a bioelectronic system that could, in real time, assess and track the development of a wound in order to allow for more effective treatment.

According to Dr. Paul Sheehan, the BETR program manager, the technology wouldn’t be limited to individual medicine, but would offer “dynamic, adaptive, and precise human therapies” that would constantly adapt to a wound, thereby helping wounded warriors recover more quickly.

“Wounds are living environments and the conditions change quickly as cells and tissues communicate and attempt to repair,” said Dr. Sheehan. “An ideal treatment would sense, process, and respond to these changes in the wound state and intervene to correct and speed recovery. For example, we anticipate interventions that modulate immune response, recruit necessary cell types to the wound, or direct how stem cells differentiate to expedite healing.”

Most current wound treatments are focused on passive rather than active treatment. For instance, medical professionals either designate a timeframe for the body to heal itself or intervene and treat around the wound to facilitate recovery. The usage of casts on broken bones or implanting new tissue around destroyed tissue are good examples of this approach.

According to Dr. Sheehan and his team, while these passive approaches are reasonably effective, they take too long. “To understand the importance of adaptive treatments that respond to the wound state, consider the case of antibiotic ointments,” said Dr. Sheehan. “People use antibiotics to treat simple cuts, and they help if the wound is infected. However, completely wiping out the natural microbiota can impair healing. Thus, without feedback, antibiotics can become counterproductive.”

The BETR project plans to change that. The project, which is scheduled to last four years, aims at creating active treatments that would circumvent the current limitations in combat medicine.


Originally published on NEWSREP

Share This

Filed Under: Medical Gear Tagged With: BETR, Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration, Combat Medicine, medical, medicine, NEWREP, TCCC, Trauma, Warfighter

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

What’s Hot

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review
Featured

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review

Why .45ACP is an outdated caliber
Ammunition

Why 45 ACP is an outdated caliber

What Do You Really Need in Your Trauma Kit?
Medical Gear

IFAK - What do you really need?

Ammunition

The Reasons Why FBI Went to Back to 9mm

AR Build Kits under $300
Firearms Technology

Peak AR: Davidson Defense AR Build Kits under $300

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

In Case You Missed It

Gear Reviews

A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686

October 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

Camping Gear

The MSR Pocket Rocket | Your little camp dragon

October 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
EDC

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

A plate carrier for the big boys: AR500’s Testudo Gen 2 is a good pick for large frames

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Get it on Google Play

© Copyright 2021 Crate Club Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers