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AFRL Adapts PJ Tactics for COVID-19 Monitoring

Sunday, May 17th, 2020

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Research Laboratory is leveraging tactics from the Air Force pararescue (PJ) community, employing a new tool that can monitor multiple patients’ vital signs, helping to alleviate the lean doctor-to-patient ratio that many medical facilities are facing amidst COVID-19.

“One of the struggles doctors and nurses are having in highly-affected hospitals right now is similar to what PJs deal with—a high ratio of patients assigned to a low ratio of medical personnel,” said Dr. Greg Burnett, Airman-Machine Integration Product Line lead in AFRL. “Add in the contagion element, and our team saw the emergent need to adapt our medical monitoring tool for widespread use so that multiple patients could be cared for remotely.”

So Burnett and his team have been hard at work adapting this agile technology, originally developed for PJs to use down range, for hospitals and other health care facilities so they too can monitor the vitals of more patients.

The solution is a medical monitoring tool called the Battlefield Assisted Trauma Distributed Observation Kit, or BATDOK. The original version of this tool has been under evaluation by military medics for about four years and was deployed operationally about a year ago. Developed in AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing, it is a smartphone-based medical information software tool that can take in sensor data for real-time health-status monitoring for multiple patients. The team has made improvements along the way to this Android application with the help of direct feedback from operators down range using the device.

This adapted version, however, removes the combat casualty care aspects of the medical monitoring tool, said Burnett, but still allows for the remote monitoring sharing of patient vitals and secured networked data dissemination. These features can help prepare doctors and nurses as they work to maintain situational awareness over multiple patients—while also working to maintain their own health and safety.

But with this newer, more streamlined vital-monitoring version of BATDOK, the AFRL team will collaborate and receive direct feedback from their new customers—healthcare providers at the Wright-Patterson Medical Center. AFRL began the first of three phases of testing with BATDOK at the base medical center in mid-April.

This first phase involves comparing data of a single patient who has agreed to have vitals monitored using both traditional methods as well as using BATDOK. The time required for each phase is unknown, but each phase will have increased patients and providers.

“Clinical practice guidelines for patients infected with COVID-19, released by the Department of Defense and the Defense Health Agency, strongly recommend continuous oxygen monitoring,” said Dr. Roger Shih, WPMC Internal Medicine director.

Shih said the ability to monitor multiple patients remotely also alleviates the need for medical personnel to change out personal protective equipment (PPE) for individual patient checks.

BATDOK’s tablet interface is user-friendly, Shih explained, and the software is straightforward and intuitive. It allows a single provider to monitor up to two dozen patients with real-time monitoring of their oxygen saturation and pulse.

The BATDOK team’s software development co-leads, 2nd Lt. Matthew Dickinson and 2nd Lt. Corey Mack, discussed how the data moves remotely.

“Monitoring the patients remotely is done through a sensor embedded in the pulse oximeter that is placed on the patient’s finger,” said Dickinson.

Mack added that the sensor transmits vitals remotely to tablets or to workstations that the nurses or other healthcare providers can then monitor.

From a nursing perspective, traditional practice is for the nurses to go to a single location, a telemetry station, to observe the patient’s heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation, explained Maj. Gary Webb, WPMC Medical Surgical Unit flight commander.

But with BATDOK, which is used through an app on a cell phone, Webb explained that nurses can monitor their patients wherever they are on the unit.

“The benefit of this,” Webb said, “is that if an alarm is going off, the nurse can immediately look at the BATDOK app to see which alarm has sounded and address it. It saves much needed time in this situation.”

All-in-all, BATDOK could allow Wright-Patterson Medical Center to rapidly scale up their ability to perform continuous oxygen monitoring for patients infected with COVID-19, while also keeping staff safer and decreasing use of PPE, said Shih.

The AFRL team, some who have family members in the hardest hit areas of this pandemic, are honored to put their skills to good use.

“It means a lot to the BATDOK team to be able to do our part in stemming the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic,” explained Mack. “Working directly with those who need and use the technology we build has always been a driving factor behind the success of BATDOK. So when we heard there was a need during this crisis, we started working on potential solutions.”

Story by Gina Marie Giardina, Air Force Research Laboratory

Photo by Wesley Farnsworth

Posted in Air Force, COVID-19 Pandemic, Guest Post, Medical | 1 Comment »

Speedbox Hand Sanitizer

Wednesday, May 13th, 2020

I’m a big fan of Veteran-owned Speedbox and their signature product. They’ve just recently expanded their offerings with Hand Sanitizer.

This scent free gel hand sanitizer eliminates 99.9% of Bacteria and includes moisturizer. Available in a variety of sizes.

www.speedbox.us/collections/hand-sanitizer

Posted in COVID-19 Pandemic, Medical | Comments Off on Speedbox Hand Sanitizer

Study Shows How Microorganisms Survive in Harsh Environments

Saturday, May 9th, 2020

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — In northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, microorganisms are able to eke out an existence by extracting water from the rocks they colonize.

An Army-funded project by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, Johns Hopkins University and University of California, Riverside gained an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms by which some cyanobacteria, an ancient group of photosynthetic microbes, survive in harsh environments.

The new insights, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate how life can flourish in places without much water in evidence – including Mars – and how people living in arid regions may someday be able to procure hydration from available minerals.

“The Army has a strong interest in how microorganisms well-adapted to extreme environments can be exploited for novel applications such as material synthesis and power generation within these harsh fielded environments,” said Dr. Robert Kokoska, program manager, Army Research Office, an element of U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory. “This study provides valuable clues for uncovering the evolved design strategies used by these native desert-dwelling microbes to maintain their viability in the face of multiple environmental challenges.”

Through work in the field and laboratory experiments, the research team focused on the interactions of Chroococcidiospsis, a desiccation-resistant species of cyanobacteria that is found in deserts around the world, and gypsum, a water containing calcium sulfate-based mineral. The colonizing lifeforms exist beneath a thin layer of rock that gives them a measure of protection against the Atacama’s extreme temperature, high solar irradiance and battering winds.

Co-author Jocelyne DiRuggiero, JHU associate professor of biology, traveled to the remote desert to collect gypsum samples and brought them back to her labs in the United States. She cut small pieces, where microorganisms could be found, and sent them to UCI for materials analysis.

In one of the most striking findings of the study, the researchers learned that the microorganisms change the very nature of the rock they occupy. By extracting water, they cause a phase transformation of the material – from gypsum to anhydrite, a dehydrated mineral.

According to DiRuggiero, the impetus for the published work came when Wei Huang, a UCI post-doctoral scholar in materials science & engineering, spotted data showing an overlap in concentrations of anhydrite and cyanobacteria in the gypsum samples collected in the Atacama.

“Our analysis of the regions of rock where microbes were colonized revealed a dehydrated phase of calcium sulfate, suggesting that they extract water from the rock to survive,” said David Kisailus, lead author and UCI professor of materials science & engineering. “We wanted to do some more controlled experiments to validate that hypothesis.”

DiRuggiero’s team then allowed the organisms to colonize half-millimeter cubes of rocks, called coupons, under two different conditions, one in the presence of water, to mimic a high-humidity environment, and the other completely dry. In the midst of moisture, the gypsum did not transform to the anhydrite phase.

“They didn’t need water from the rock, they got it from their surroundings,” Kisailus said. “But when they were put under stressed conditions, the microbes had no alternative but to extract water from the gypsum, inducing this phase transformation in the material.”

Kisailus’ team used a combination of advanced microscopy and spectroscopy to examine the interactions between the biological and geological counterparts, finding that the organisms bore into the material like tiny miners by excreting a biofilm containing organic acids, Kisailus said.

Huang used a modified electron microscope equipped with a Raman spectrometer to discover that the organisms used the acid to penetrate the rock in specific crystallographic directions – only along certain planes where they could more easily access water existing between faces of calcium and sulfate ions.

Kisailus said the project was a great demonstration of interdisciplinary research between microbiologists and materials scientists that may, one day, open doors to other forms of scientific discovery.

“Scientists have suspected for a long time that microorganisms might be able to extract water from minerals, but this is the first demonstration of it,” DiRuggiero said. “This is an amazing survival strategy for microorganisms living at the dry limit for life, and it provides constraints to guide our search for life elsewhere.”

Researchers said this study can benefit the Army Research Lab’s efforts in synthetic biology.

“These findings have drawn the interest of our lab as microbial survival mechanisms can be leveraged for biomanufacturing or sensing platforms in harsh military environments,” said Dr. Matthew Perisin of the lab’s biotechnology branch.

In addition to the Army, NASA also provided funding for this project.

Posted in CBRNE, COVID-19 Pandemic, Guest Post, Medical | Comments Off on Study Shows How Microorganisms Survive in Harsh Environments

Amid COVID-19, 673d MDSS Airmen Innovate Added Layer of Protection

Saturday, May 2nd, 2020

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska

Two 673d Medical Support Squadron (MDSS) Airmen refined their invention of a plastic barrier to protect medical providers treating patients with COVID-19, and airborne diseases in general, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 7, 2020.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Shoemaker, 673d MDSS biomedical equipment technician, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Taylor, 673d MDSS medical logistics noncommissioned officer in charge of acquisitions, designed and built a polycarbonate plastic enclosure to place over a patient’s head and upper torso with access for treatment via two holes at the head of the enclosure for a physician’s hands and arms, and two side doors for additional access.

“Ultimately, we wanted to create a mobile isolation room that could contain an infectious disease,” Shoemaker said. “This enclosure provides an extra layer of protection for medical staff because aerosol droplets can’t pass through it.”

Shoemaker said he got the idea after seeing the large, bubble-like ventilators medical providers in Italy and New York were using to treat patients with COVID-19. The ventilators had sufficient space around a patient’s head for a physician to reach inside and treat the patient from outside the barrier.

Shoemaker shared his idea for a sturdy, plastic barrier that could surround a patient’s head and upper torso with MDSS leadership, using a cardboard box for a visual. He said his leadership immediately gave him the go-ahead to build a prototype, and Taylor came on board to help with supplies and construction.

Taylor and Shoemaker built an acrylic prototype that same day, then invited medical professionals from infection control, respiratory therapy and anesthesiology to provide feedback and suggestions for improvements. A paramedic also intubated a medical manikin under the enclosure to assess its practicality.

“It was really cool to see the whole team excited about the idea, looking at the capability it could provide,” Shoemaker said. “Everybody was onboard. They pointed out shortfalls in the initial design and what we needed to change. For example, curving the front so there wasn’t a seam on the viewing platform, and making sure there were doors on the sides so medical technicians could support the physician.”

“Their recommendations made this enclosure a lot more functional than we originally anticipated,” Taylor said. “It could be used for more than the current situation with COVID-19. It could be used for almost any medical procedure needing an extra barrier for protection.”

To create the enclosure, polycarbonate plastic panels are cut with a waterjet, so they fit together almost like a puzzle. Thin brackets and rivets secure the panels together, and clear silicone seals the seams. The team is also working to create a single panel that can be folded into shape using heat, eliminating the need for brackets and rivets.

“It’s simplicity allows it to be quickly cleaned and sterilized after each use and ready for another patient in five to 10 minutes,” Taylor said.

“Working with the base innovation lab and the staff at the medical group, we’ve created something significant,” Shoemaker said. “If this is adopted and we’re able to make this a kit that can be sent out, it will outlast COVID-19 and go to any medical group with a need for it.”

In less than a week, with help from the 673d Medical Group, the JBER Innovation Lab and support from across the installation, these two Airmen created a functioning, potentially life-saving device.

By Airman 1st Class Samuel Colvin | 673 ABW/PA

Posted in Air Force, COVID-19 Pandemic, Design, Guest Post, Medical | Comments Off on Amid COVID-19, 673d MDSS Airmen Innovate Added Layer of Protection

Grab a Free ITS Zip Bag with the Purchase of a Boo-Boo First Aid Kit

Friday, May 1st, 2020

Raising Awareness to Control Bleeding

[ARLINGTON, TX, 05/01/2020] To help raise awareness for Stop the Bleed month, Imminent Threat Solutions is offering weekly promotions on our medical products throughout the month of May, to help you prepare for medical emergencies and always be ready to stop traumatic bleeding.

Starting now through Monday, ITS will include a FREE Medical Edition Nylon Zip Bag with the purchase of a Boo-Boo First Aid Kit™ while supplies last. As you stock-up on preparedness supplies, consider the likelihood you’ll need First Aid supplies to treat day-to-day injuries, like minor bleeding, over severe bleeding; though you should be prepared for both.

Please Note: There’s no coupon code required for this offer, but you must add BOTH the Boo-Boo First Aid Kit™ and the Medical Edition Nylon Zip Bag to your cart to see the discount applied.

Imminent Threat Solutions has been helping you prevail over adversity since 2009 by providing vital skills and proven products. For more information on ITS Medical products, please visit store.itstactical.com/collections/medical

Posted in Medical, Press Release | Comments Off on Grab a Free ITS Zip Bag with the Purchase of a Boo-Boo First Aid Kit

National Molding Introduces Three New Shield Products

Friday, April 24th, 2020

National Molding has introduced three new Face Shield Products, the AP Face Shield a care givers / technicians shield which is hood compatible, the JR mask which is more of a disposable version and the Mask Bridge to relieve irritation from extended mask use.

AP Face Mask

JR Face Mask

Mask Bridge

Email contactus@natmo.com

Posted in Advertiser, COVID-19 Pandemic, Medical | Comments Off on National Molding Introduces Three New Shield Products

The Patten Company Has Begun Producing Medical Isolation Gowns for National Guard

Thursday, April 23rd, 2020

Following in the footsteps of its sister company Mustang Survival and utilizing the pattern & specs for the medical isolation gown they designed, Patten has converted a portion of its Florida facility over to medical gown production. They are currently making 1500 gowns for West Virginia National Guard.

With over six decades of experience in building critical inflatable lifesaving equipment, The Patten Company is no stranger to fast action response in a time of crisis. They have varied from their core military lines when necessary and manufactured products for other essential service customers as and when required. Their history includes creating rubber aircraft & tank deception decoy’s during the WWII to inflatable rafts used by NASA since the first Apollo mission.

Both companies are owned by The WING Group in CA and together are looking to secure a contract with FEMA which will enable them to create a rapid growth pipeline to manufacture this same high-quality reusable healthcare PPE in the US and around the world.

“We are confident the collective capacity to produce these gowns can make a significant contribution to those putting their lives at risk every day to fight the virus”
Andrew Branagh – owner, The Wing Group.

Posted in COVID-19 Pandemic, Medical, Press Release | Comments Off on The Patten Company Has Begun Producing Medical Isolation Gowns for National Guard

Dark Angel Medical – Vehicular Individual Safety Rig

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020

The Vehicular Individual Safety Rig (VISR) is a trauma kit that can be deployed from your vehicle’s windshield visor at the pull of the red grab handle.

The full kit contains:

1 x Hemostatic Gauze (QuikClot Bleeding Control Dressing, Combat Gauze LE or MIL, ChitoGauze)
1 x Nitrile Gloves
1 x Mini Compression Bandage
1 x HALO Seals
1 x Compressed Gauze
1 x Eye Shield, Polycarbonate
1 x NPA
1 x Mylar Blanket
1 x CAT or SOFTT-W TQ with room for 2 more tourniquets
1 x Mini-Trauma Shears

Dark Angel Medical offers all of their kits at various levels with upgraded contents based on intended use. See the site for full details.

Available in Black, Coyote and Wolf Grey. Red is currently out of stock.

Get yours at darkangelmedical.com/vehicular-individual-safety-rig-visr.

Posted in Medical | Comments Off on Dark Angel Medical – Vehicular Individual Safety Rig