Photo By Sgt. Aaron Ellerman | Spc. Shenouda Zarif, a U.S. Army biomedical science technician with the U.S. Army...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO – Muscles tense, a gut-wrenching grimace coincides with a rising heartbeat. Teeth grit as the body stiffens holding its breath, fingers trying to grasp unattainable relief. A spectrum of pink and black exposed layers lies on the table, the damp cloth massages the rough dead skin where the new meets the old.
“Sir, on a scale from one to 10 could you rate your pain?” asked Spc. Kirk Matthews, during a physical therapy session with a burn patient here Feb. 24.
“Ten!” Wailed the patient pleading for the prodding to cease.
Every day, Soldier and civilian medical professionals treat, care for and research new ways to help burn patients at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center located at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
“It’s a rewarding job, we see the patients when they’re at their worst condition and work with them all the way through,” said Matthews, an Army physical therapist technician with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center and an Orlando, Florida, native.
Dealing with burns requires constant care and each individual care plan can vary drastically which is why research and development of new procedures and treatments is key for Soldiers and civilians.
“Working with burns is very difficult, but I like the challenge that comes with taking and treating some of the sickest patients,” said Col. (Dr.) Booker T. King, USAISR Burn Center director.
Through gathering treatment data from the past 15 years of conflicts the burn center has developed and tested several new methods of treatment including ReCell and damage control resuscitation of severely injured Soldiers.
“When Soldiers go into combat, they sustain these types of injuries and it’s important for us to do this type of research so we can treat these patients and be better prepared for treating combat casualties,” said King.
Another capability the burn center has at in its arsenal is the U.S. Army Burn Flight Team. The team provides worldwide assessment, evaluation and treatment of casualties sustaining burn injuries related to both combat and non-combat-related events. Comprised of Soldiers and DA civilians from the burn center intensive care unit the team is readily deployable within 12 hours.
In 2015, there were 819 patients admitted to the Burn Center setting a record and further cementing the need for the facilities and research.
The burn center is just one facet of the USAISR, which is the nation’s premier tri-service research organization. USAISR plans and executes registry-based and translational research providing innovative solutions for burn, trauma and combat casualty care from time of injury through rehabilitation, placing equal emphasis in providing medical solutions for the injured warfighter on the battlefield.
“Knowing my unit can develop, research, and supply Soldiers with products that they can use directly in the field is the greatest honor I could ever have,” said Col. (Dr.) Michael D. Wirt, USAISR commander.
Approximately 700 military and civilian personnel work for USAISR, which serves as the primary combat casualty care research facility for the Army.
“Seeing the passion that this team has towards making a difference and the drive they have when they come into work really shows that they care and realize that they are directly helping save lives,” said Wirt.
USAISR has an array of areas they focus on from ocular trauma and vision restoration to coagulation and blood research. The team is constantly improving and designing aids and conducting studies aimed at caring for service members.
Through development and research USAISR has been instrumental in providing and improving inventions such as the Combat Application Tourniquet, Combat Gauze, Flame-Resistant Army Combat Shirt, Xstat wound dressing, and much more. Their studies and trials have also helped pave the way for new treatment and diagnosis procedures.
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2016 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 190245 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ORLANDO, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 483 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Refining Innovation: USAISR researches, develops, improves cutting-edge healing products, procedures for service members and civilians while maintaining only Army BICU, by SGT Aaron Ellerman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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