Written by / Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
MMT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 1 (February)
Idaho Technology’s Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS) has been approved by the military to run tests for the H1N1 virus.
In response to the recent outbreaks of the H1N1 virus, the Chemical Biological Medical Systems–Joint Project Management Office (CBMS– JPMO) requested JBAIDS be evaluated for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration to identify the H1N1 virus. The use of the JBAIDS gives armed services the ability to identify, isolate and control the spread of the H1N1 virus with a system that is already deployed in the field.
Testing was conducted at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Md., using test kits manufactured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results revealed accurate identification of the H1N1 virus on the JBAIDS instrument. Idaho Technology provided a team of scientists that hastened the development so the delivery of the tests could begin this month.
Deployed across the globe, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, by all four branches of the military, the JBAIDS instrument will be used to test military personnel and their families for Influenza A, swine flu A and H1N1 flu in less than an hour. More traditional means of testing can take days to deliver results, the company said in a press release. Given the proximity in which soldiers live and work, the speed to obtain results will enable a swift response and quarantine of the infected, minimizing the spread of the virus.
Lou Banks:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Automated Dispensing
McKesson recently introduced a new automated dispenser for oral solid medications in unit-dose, bar-coded form. ProManager-Rx, as the product is called, lets hospitals dispense pre-packaged medications without needing to repackage them, improving accuracy and saving time and money. The company said the product accommodates more than 90 percent of the oral solid medications in use and is available from U.S. drug manufacturers today.
Lea Grasshopp:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Clean Sinuses
Soldiers stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan pose with neti pots donated by SinuCleanse. The company has been providing neti pot kits on an ongoing basis to the medical clinic on the base, which medics have been using to treat servicemembers and Afghans suffering from sinusitis and allergies. Neti pots are used for nasal washing with a saline solution to alleviate symptoms and promote sinus health.
Robert Hale:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
CBRN Mask
Excelerate Technology said its Fast-Mask, a new positive pressure breathing apparatus for protection against various chemical biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, as well as other hazardous materials, is now available.
The Fast-Mask’s automatically inflating head harness makes it operational in three seconds, forming a positive pressure seal that the company said does not require adjusting any harness straps or buckles. The mask automatically switches the demand valve regulator to positive pressure, helping to purge the facemask of any trace of hazardous gas.
Excelerate Technology plans to offer additional versions of the product, including Fast-Cowl, which features a specially formulated hood or cowl material applied to the facemask to provide CBRN resistance, flame retardancy and certification to EN136 Class 3 for Fire Fighting. The company also offers a short duration, compact unit for CBRN tactical forces and counter-terrorist operations that instantly activates on removal from the carry bag and automatically inflates the head harness to protect personnel for up to 20 minutes.
Nicola Savage:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fracture Putty
Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics signed a technology development contract with DoD to help develop a new fracture fixation system for battlefield injuries. The contract stems from a request for proposals issued by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) last year to create a “fracture putty” that would help support injured limbs during the natural healing process of the body. Better support would permit greater participation in physical therapy and help prevent secondary fractures and infection, as well as possibly reduce surgeries, rehabilitation time and the likelihood of amputation.
Injuries caused by improvised explosive devices in particular during the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are creating significant loss of bone and soft tissue that greatly complicates successful treatment, Smith and Nephew said.
“Fracture putty represents the ultimate convergence of orthopedic material science and mechanics, and has the potential to revolutionize the way patients are treated,” said DARPA program manager Dr. Mitchell Zakin in a statement. “If all technical challenges are met, we believe this innovative technology will provide superior clinical outcomes for patients.”
Tinnitus Therapy
University of Alabama researcher Dr. Craig Formby is leading a $3.2 million project sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness of a new treatment for tinnitus, the ringing in people’s ears that is currently the top disability suffered by veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Tinnitus is a noise inside the ear or head in the absence of any sound that could account for it,” Formby said in a press release. “We don’t know what happens. In some cases, it’s related to an acoustic insult or gunfire. However, there may be no obvious cause for the tinnitus for many sufferers. It’s some sort of over-stimulation of the auditory system that produces hyperactivity either at a peripheral or central level.”
Up to 50 million people in the United States suffer from tinnitus, Formby noted, with an estimated 2 million to 5 million people “incapacitated” by it and some willing even to have their auditory nerve cut to stop the ringing.
Currently, standard care for tinnitus consists of counseling sufferers to cope with the problem and providing reassurance that it is not a symptom of eventual hearing loss. Under the NIH-sponsored trial, referred to as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, participants with the condition will wear noise-generator devices from General Hearing Instruments that create a seashell-like noise intended to blend with the tinnitus and better habituate users to the condition.
If successful, “the patient’s perception of the annoyance and awareness of the tinnitus will be reduced, and the tinnitus will not be bothersome to them in the way it was at the start of the study,” Formby said.
The clinical trial will take place at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in Irvine, Calif.; the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va.; the San Diego Naval Hospital; the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif.; and the Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Airworthy Defibrillators
Philips Healthcare received a contract worth up to $29 million to provide its HeartStart MRx monitor and defibrillator for military services’ needs related to various operations. Under the “medical equipment corporate exigency contract,” as it’s called, the agreement provides equipment for contingency operations and potentially provides logistical support for humanitarian, emergency and urgent relief efforts performed under the authority of the military.
Brian Healey:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it