Cerebral Resuscitation and Thermoregulation
The Carolina Resuscitation Research Group, formed in 1996, has been active in developing methods to improve cerebral and cardiac resuscitation in patients sustaining a cardiac arrest. Under the leadership of Laurence Katz, MD, the group conducts basic, translational and clinical research to determine the role of thermoregulation on outcome in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. The work of our group and others has led to the clinical program at UNC to Induce Cooling to Eliminate Deficits (ICED) therapy in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Our group is currently developing a patented drug combination therapy to induce hibernation in humans. The goal of the research is to develop a pharmaceutical agent to induce hibernation to treat acute brain injury after cardiac arrest, stroke and traumatic brain injury. The study is funded by the NIH NCATs (National Center for Advancing Translational Science) BrIDGs (Bridging Interventional Development Gaps) award.
The second path of research pursued by our group is the development of tools to non-invasively measure perfusion during hemorrhagic shock. Dynamic measurement of thermoregulation by Infrared thermography is being evaluated as a method for early detection of compensated shock in trauma patients. The study, in collaboration with investigators from the Division of trauma, longitudinally measures changes in surface temperature during trauma resuscitation. The goal of the research is to optimize fluid resuscitation during hemorrhagic shock to improve outcome.
Other projects under the Carolina Resuscitation Group umbrella
- Prophylactic Inside-the-Boot Athletic Lace-Up Ankle Device (iBAD) for Reduction of Injuries in Paratroopers. Emergency Medicine resident Dr. Jeffery Fogle, a former paratrooper and military chaplain leads the project in collaboration with the Department of Physical Therapy at UNC and the military. The goal of the research is to reduce ankle injuries in paratroopers.
- Teaching Methods to Improve Procedural Skills for Medical Student. Emergency medicine resident Dr. Joseph Fisher leads the project. The goal of the research is to develop lasting procedural skill competence in medical students.
- Detection of brown fat by xenon MRI and assessment of its sensitivity and specificity with respect to FDG-PET and histology. Primary investigator Dr. Tamara Branca, Department of Physics and Astronomy, BRIC (BioMedical Research Imaging Center) is developing new MRI imaging methods with Xenon to measure non-shivering thermogenesis by quantifying brown adipose tissue metabolism during cold stress. The goal of the research is to provide a precision method to measure regional metabolism and heat production. The work is funded by the NIH, NIDDK
- A provider/caregiver co-designed educational intervention to increase radiation risk communication and safety in children with shunted hydrocephalus. Primary investigator Dr. Diane Armao, Department of Pathology and Radiology leads the program. The goal of the research is to design an educational program for medical providers and families to minimize radiation exposure in children while optimizing their care. The work is funded by the NIH NCATs program.