New Publication in American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) receives Editor's Pick
January 2025
PA-C Erin Niles recently published her first name authorship in the ASAIO Journal and was selected for the January 2025 Editor’s Pick. We were fortunate enough to interview both first name author Erin Niles as well as co-author Dr. Elizabeth Powell regarding the challenges, outcomes, and future directions of the Editor’s Pick publication, “Anticoagulation Can Be Held in Traumatically Injured Patients on Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support”. This single-center retrospective cohort study concluded that withholding systemic anticoagulation during Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) for trauma patients with severe pulmonary conditions does not increase mortality, complication rates, nor does it increase transfusion requirements.
During our discussion, the authors pointed out the importance of “treating each patient with an individualistic approach using multi-disciplinary teams”. The paper noted that the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) recommends anticoagulation efforts to mitigate thrombosis-related risks, but the results of this study support the notion that more research is required to improve patient safety and treatment. When asked about patient populations that may benefit from withholding anticoagulation while supported on VV ECMO, Erin highlighted the potential benefit to trauma patients presenting with neurologic injury, which was present in 67% (n=50) of studied patients, as VV ECMO may mitigate the deleterious effects of hypercarbia and hypoxia for these patients.
When asked about future directions for this research and its applications, the authors discussed the importance of having experienced staff and teams of clinicians who can treat patients individually, alluding to the importance of innovating medicine and removing a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Most notably, the authors discussed applications within the military population. “We utilize VV ECMO in patients with polytraumatic injuries…this can potentially be applied to those injured in combat”. Overall, these findings will champion future research efforts in the innovation of clinical medicine and care both within UMMC and healthcare institutions around the world.
USCENTCOM Hosts Demonstration of Life-Saving Device
December 2024
MacDill AFB, Florida – On December 16, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) En Route Care (ERC) section was joined by Lazarus Technologies LLC (creators of the patented MACE Device) to present their research and development (R&D) program to personnel and servicemembers from the U.S. Central Command's (USCENTCOM) Surgeon's office.
Ongoing Operational Research into Advanced Capabilities
March 2024
Laboratory personnel performing operational advanced resuscitation technique evaluation and testing.