Speakers

Blast injury
1108 09:45-10:00
Neurotramatology and Intensive Care/303A
Blast TBI study in National Defense Medical College Satoshi Tomura Division of Traumatology, Research Institute, National Defense Medical College, Japan National Defense Medical College (NDMC) is the only educational institution in Japan that deals with military medicine. We are studying blast injury, which is the most common mechanism of injury in recent war, using blast tube or LISW (laser-induced shock wave). The blast tube is an air-driven shock wave generator installed at NDMC in 2017 for basic research on blast injury. The tube is 8 m long and the opening aperture is 40 cm in diameter, that allows for evaluation using medium-sized animals as specimens, which can be considered comparable to humans. On the other hand, we have proposed the use of LISWs to mimic primary blast-induced injuries in animal models. The characteristics of LISWs, such as better safety, ease of use, the compact size of the laser, and generation of highly controllable shockwave energy, both temporally and spatially, enable many experiments that cannot otherwise be performed. In this presentation, we will introduce some of the study we are conducting on blast TBI. 1. Study on the acute phase of blast TBI In order to investigate lethal factors in the acute phase of blast injury, the effects of shock wave irradiation to the cerebrum, brainstem, and thorax of mice were respectively examined using LISW. In addition to this, we created a body armor that can protect pig's neck and chest, and tested its life-saving effect using blast tube. 2. Study on the chronic phase of blast TBI Blast-induced mild TBI (mild bTBI) can result in chronic mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and cognitive impairment, and is known as the most important problem in the chronic phase of blast injury. We have developed a mice model of mTBI using LISW and are working on the pathophysiology of the disease.