http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed Site News daily 1 2010-07-27T15:16:05Z http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/clinical-study-elecsysae-high-sensitive-347-440 Sponsored by Roche Diagnostics Corp., led by Abhi Mehrotra, MD This project is looking at a new high-sensitivity troponin assay performance in chest pain patients.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2012-04-12T17:55:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/regulated-hypothermia-to-treat-hypoxic-ischemic-brain-injury-407-000 Sponsored by NIH, led by Laurene Katz, MD Brain ischemia results in permanent disability and death for thousands of patients annually. Hypothermia improves neurological outcome after brain ischemia, but has been slow to be accepted in clinical practice because of concerns about the efficacy and complexity of the therapy. Forced hypothermia is currently used clinically to lower body temperature and works by overwhelming the body's thermoregulatory mechanisms that resist cooling. However, physiological responses to forced cooling (shivering, vasoconstriction and release of stress hormones) reduce the efficacy of hypothermia. Drug-induced regulated hypothermia is proposed as a simple, effective new neuroprotective method that can be used clinically to rapidly lower body temperature after brain ischemia. Regulated hypothermia is a lowering of the brain's set- point temperature, resulting in a rapid and controlled reduction in body temperature. Hibernating mammals effectively use regulated hypothermia to protect the brain and heart from prolonged hypoxic-ischemia. It follows that the development of drugs to induce regulated hypothermia is the next step to improve neurological outcome from brain ischemia in humans. Ethanol and neurotensin both induce regulated hypothermia in animals and humans. Since the pharmacological and safety profile of ethanol in humans is well established, it is likely to proceed to clinical trials sooner than neurotensin and thus the reason for inclusion in this translational proposal. The following specific aims are proposed; Specific aim 1a: Compare regulated to forced hypothermia for time to target temperature, survival and neurological outcome after resuscitation from brain ischemia. Specific aim 1b: Determine the effect of rewarming rate on incidence of significant adverse events after regulated and forced hypothermia. The translational value of drug-induced regulated hypothermia will be examined in a rat outcome model that simulates the complex human pathophysiology of ischemic brain injury and neurological outcome. The main outcome measures of the study will be survival and neurological outcome. Neurological outcome will be evaluated by performance in the Morris Water Maze to assess spatial learning and memory. Secondary outcome measures include time to reach therapeutic hypothermia and incidence of complications with rewarming. Positive results from this study will provide compelling data to proceed with an application to the FDA for an investigational new drug application and clinical trial development. The long term goals of the project are to optimize hypothermia and rewarming to improve neurological outcome from a broad range of ischemic brain injuries.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:44:13Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/temperature-vasomotor-tone-55-967 Sponsored by Duke University, led by Laurene Katz, MD This study is innovative because it is the first to explore vasomotor tone in relation to body temperature in ELBW infants during the first week of life. This exploratory study will also use new technology; peripheral perfusion index and infrared thermal imaging to examine maturational vasomotor tone related to changes in body temperature in 30 ELBW infrant. Specific aim 1: to examine the development of the ability to exhibit peripheral vasoconstriction. Hypothesis: In ELBW infrants, peripheral vasoconstriction resonses will develop after birth within the first 5 days Specific aim 2: to determine the time period during which abdominl temperature becomes equal to or above peripheral temperature.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:39:03Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/prospective-observational-study-of-pain-2-400 Sponsored by Emergency Medicine Foundation, led by Tim Platts-Mills, MD Dr. Platts-Mills is the recipient of an NIH-funded institutional career development award to gain skills needed to become an independent researcher studying the mechanisms leading to functional limitations in older adults after motor vehicle collision.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:35:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/race-er-premis-data-linkage-project-39-667 Sponsored by Duke University, led by Seth Glickman, MD This project supports the linking of the Reperfusion of Acute Myocardial Infarction in North Carolina Emergency Departments - Emergency Response (RACE-ER) data to the North Carolina PreHospital Medical Information System (PreMIS) database.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:20:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/regionalized-systems-of-health-care-delivery-299-453 Sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson Fdn., led by Seth Glickman, MD The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars Program (PFSP) was designed to strengthen the leadership and academic productivity of junior medical school faculty who are dedicated to improving health and health care. This grant supports a study to determine variation in EMS care quality in North Carolina and evaluate the impact of a statewide regionalization program for myocardial infarction on care disparities. Deliverables will include annual written reports about project status to RWJF and the PFSP National Program Office and attendance at the annual PFSP national meeting and one other scientific meeting annually of the Scholar's choosing, as applicable to the project.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:18:50Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/the-race-to-improve-stemi-care-111-358 Sponsored by Duke University, led by Seth Glickman, MD The first phase of the RACE project successfully implemented a coordianted statewide sysem of STEMI reperfusion therapy in 65 hospitals and associated emergency medical systems. The RACE study found that after intervention of the program both use and timeliness of primary reperfusion therapy improved significantly for STEMI patients. To date, studies of RACE, however, have not addressed the variability in impovement seen among hospitals, nor better characterized the process and system changes that were associated with improvement. Additionally, the degree to which implementation of standardized evidence-based practices can reduce existing disparities in timely reperfusion therapy for minorities is not unknown. And, the impact of the program on overall patient outcome (mortality) has not been characterized. Thus, our proposed Project 2 will first address these important specific questions using available clinical data collected in RACE as well as state and national claims and EMS data sources.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T03:15:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/ventilator-associated-pneumonia-95-773 Sponsored by Duke University, led by Seth Glickman, MD No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T02:59:31Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/nc-disease-event-epdmiologic-nc-detect-707-000 Sponsored by NC Dept of Health & Human Services, led by Anna Waller, ScD UNC NC DETECT staff will work closely with Division of Public Health (DPH) staff to design, develop, and maintain a data system for public health surveillance that includes data from several sources. Hospital emergency department (ED) data are critical to the early detection of and response to public health outbreaks and emergencies, including a possible biological or chemical terrorist attack. The UNC Department of Emergency Medicine’s Carolina Center for Health Informatics has worked with DPH over 10 years to establish a timely and useful data system for ED visit information. North Carolina has mandated the collection of ED visit data by DPH and purchases hospital ED data from the North Carolina Hospital Association. The contract provides for NC DETECT to receive those data and continue building and using the state ED database and for guiding further development of ED data utility to the state. In addition, it provides for the receipt and use of data from other sources (e.g. poison control, EMS, urgent care) in NC to facilitate timely public health surveillance. The contract also provides for the coordination of Electronic Laboratory Reporting for the NC Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NCEDSS).

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T02:50:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/ems-and-pediatric-trauma-900-000 Sponsored by Health Res. & Services Administration, led by Jane Brice, MD This project seeks to develop a web-based educational training course on the recognition, assessment and triage of pediatric injuries. This course will first be provided to all EMS and 911 Dispatch personnel within North Carolina. Later the training course will be packaged for use across the US. The impact of the training course in NC, with respects to user satisfaction, knowledge retention and use history will be evaluated. Revisions will also be made to the EMS Acute Pediatric Care and EMS Acute Trauma Care PI Toolkits to merge pediatric and injury content for ongoing data analysis of pediatric care. Furthermore, all NC Pediatric injuries will described using a population-based analysis both pre and post implementation of the web-based educational training course.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T02:45:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/gis-evaluation-of-a-ems-stroke-routing-protocol-19-149 Sponsored by Charlote-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Fdn., led by Jane Brice, MD This innovative study will add important needed data to evaluate how state legislation and its resultant initiatives impacts the development of a statewide system of acute stroke care and the treatment of stroke patients. The project’s findings will be critical for identifying areas of the state needing additional education, support, and STDP refinement to improve the frequency of patients being transported to an appropriate stroke capable facility in a clinically relevant time frame. The results will also aid in identifying target areas in the state that have an opportunity to improve the frequency of treatment with thrombolytic therapy. Finally, our results will benefit other states that have implemented our are preparing to implement similar initiatives.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-09T02:40:00Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/development-of-prototype-system-bio-watch-2-499-915 Sponsored by US Department of Homeland Security, led by Larry Glickman, MD The BioWatch Program uses a series of pathogen detectors co-located with Environmental Protection Agency air quality monitors. These detectors collect airborne particles onto filters, which are subsequently transported to laboratories for analysis. It is expected that this system will provide early warning of a pathogen release, alerting authorities before victims begin to show symptoms and providing the opportunity to deliver treatments earlier, decreasing illness and death.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-08T22:10:13Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/clinical-study-elecsys-high-sensitive-347-440 Sponsored by Roche Diagnostics Corp., led by Abhi Mehrotra, MD No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-08T22:03:53Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/entegrion-resusix-dose-response-phase-1-97-340 Sponsored by Entegron, Inc., led by James Manning, MD The primary objective for the Entegrion Resusix Dose Response Study is to quantitatively compare the effectiveness of Resusix© to restore intravascular coagulation factors following hemorrhage. Additionally, Entegrion would like to test the efficacy of new surface hemostatics currently under development by the company.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-08T22:00:33Z News Item http://www.med.unc.edu/emergmed/research/grants/nc-ems-cardiac-arrest-care-toolkit-150-000 Sponsored by Duke Endowment, led by Charles Cairns, MD The goal of this grant is to improve the outcome of patients who are at risk for or experience an out of hospital cardiac arrest. The use of 12 lead ECG and waveform capnography devices has been shown to improve patient monitoring, resuscitation, and the rapid identification of patients who would benefit from a hospital with specific post cardiac arrest, ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), or intensive care capabilities.

]]> No publisher Neil Thomas Link Grants 2011-11-08T21:50:00Z News Item