Battlefield Shock and Organ Support

About BSOS

The mission and overarching aims of the Battlefield Shock and Organ Support (BSOS) Research Program are to test, evaluate, develop and deliver new innovative solutions that will increase the survivability of, and recovery from combat wounding during the immediate and early phases after injury (i.e. Golden Hour and prolonged field care). The BSOS team work towards a vision of preventing death due to non-compressible torso hemorrhage, developing new strategies to stage and definitively treat large-vessel vascular injury and shock, and prevent and mitigate the effects of ischemia reperfusion and organ failure (i.e. the effects of shock). 

This is done by collaborating with industry specialists and by exploring four (4) strategic Lines of Effort:

1. Exsanguination Shock and Endovascular Resuscitative Technologies: examining the mechanistic and physiological features of exsanguination shock, while testing and evaluating the next-generation endovascular resuscitation technologies such as resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) and the selective aortic arch perfusion (SAAP)

2. Extremity Ischemia and Vascular Shunt Devices: developing, testing and evaluating technical adjuncts (e.g. a miniaturized, self-contained vascular shunt devices) or pharmacological adjuncts (e.g. valproic acid) to mitigate the effects of extremity and end- organ ischemia and to aid in the management of blood vessel trauma.

3. Biosensing Technologies: testing, evaluating and developing miniaturized Biosensing technologies including skin-like wearable polymers and injectable hydrogel that enable assessment of real-time physiology.

4. Organ Failure and ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS): characterizing organ dysfunction/failure (e.g. brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, spinal cord) and evaluating next-generation ECLS technologies to mitigate organ failure from battlefield injury and shock.