Trauma Research

Clinical trials offer you access to treatments not otherwise available as well as a chance to participate in cutting-edge medical research. The Ross Trauma Center currently offers the following clinical trials:

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

An infection in the body can cause extensive inflammation, especially in the lungs, resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This trial investigates an antibody-type medication that may limit or decrease this inflammation and therefore limit the damage to the lungs.

Flail Chest

Flail chest is a potentially life-threatening condition in which several ribs are fractured in multiple places and part of the chest wall is separated and moves independently from the remainder of the chest wall. Flail chest is most commonly caused by a crushing or rollover injury. This trial is using an FDA approved rib fixation system to see if surgical intervention for rib fractures results in a better outcome than if you do not have the surgery.

Open Abdomen Management

A penetrating object, such as glass or a bullet, or a blunt injury, such as the force from a motor vehicle accident, can cause trauma to the abdomen. In these situations, a doctor may have leave your abdomen open after surgery with a protective covering because of swelling of the abdominal organs. The abdomen can be left open for days or weeks. Sometimes after surgery, adhesions can form in the abdomen. Adhesions are abnormal joining or scarring of tissues and can lead to serious problems such as pain or blocking of the intestines.

This trial studies the use of an adhesion barrier that is sometimes used in other surgeries to see if it can help prevent or lessen adhesions, and to see if it can decrease the size of the wound in your abdomen.

Pulmonary Embolism

When a blood clot forms, usually in the deep veins of the leg, it can travel through the bloodstream and lodge in the lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolism, which can lead to decreased blood flow to the lungs, which may cause lung damage or death.

Anticoagulant medicines, commonly called blood thinners, are used to help prevent these clots from forming. However, sometimes these medicines cannot or should not be used and an effective alternative is to place a filter into the inferior vena cava (IVC) to trap the clots before they reach the lungs.

The Denali clinical trial involves using a newly designed IVC filter to help prevent clots from moving into the lungs.

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

A closed head injury, which can result in swelling and damage to the brain, is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. A closed head injury can occur from a fall, a motor vehicle crash, or any blunt force injury. This trial is investigating a medication made from a naturally occurring hormone that has been shown to decrease the swelling and protect the brain from further damage occurring after a traumatic injury. Results from this trial could be used to develop the first FDA approved drug for traumatic brain injury.

Contact Trauma Research

For more information, email our clinical research nurse.