A Portable Multimodality System for in-field Airway Injury Assessment and Compliance Measurement

Airway compromise is the third leading cause of potentially preventable death on the battlefield. Current evaluation techniques of the airways associated with smoke inhalation injury are highly subjective and lack the sensitivity required of an accurate diagnostic and assessment tool. The problem of detection is further compounded by the late onset of symptoms that in many cases do not present until 12-24 hours post-exposure. New quantitative techniques are therefore sought for early diagnosis of airway injuries and airway management in military pre-hospital setting to maximize survival. Here we propose to develop a portable, easy to setup, compact multimodal imaging system for real-time localized airway compliance measurements to detect and diagnose airway injuries at an early stage. This system powered by an Auxiliary Power Unit, will provide a comprehensive tool for evaluation of lung injury. The Phase I research has successfully demonstrated feasibility of developing such systems. The Phase II will be a logical extension of the work done so far and will result in a compact, man-portable system that can be folded into a single suite cased sized unit. The proposed effort provides complementary capabilities for far-forward medical care to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with major battlefield injuries.