VCURES Awarded Two Grants from U.S. Navy for Acute Decompression Illness Research

The U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research has awarded VCURES two grants to continue its ground-breaking work in the treatment and prevention of acute decompression illness using perfluorocarbon emulsions (PFCs).

The three year 1.3 million dollar grant entitled: Coordinated Follow-up Studies in the Treatment and Prevention of Decompression Illness and Venous Air Embolisms with Perfuorocarbon Emulsions is led by Dr. Bruce Spiess, Director of VCURES and Vice Chairman of the VCU Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Spiess pioneered the concept of using PFCs to prevent neurologic damage from air emboli over 10 years ago. An additional two-year grant totaling $224,531 was also awarded to VCURES to develop a post-doctoral training position in this area.

Team members of the team include:

Bruce D. Spiess, MD: Principal Investigator and VCURES Director

Jiepei Zhu, PhD: VCURES Fellow: Department of Anesthesiology

Ricardo Weis, MD: VCURES Research Associate: Department of Anesthesiology

Ivo Torres Filho MD, PhD: Director VCURES Clinical Microcirculation Laboratory: Departments of Anesthesiology, Physiology and Emergency Medicine.

R. Wayne Barbee, PhD: Senior VCURES Fellow: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Physiology

Brian Berger, MS: Senior VCURES Research Associate: Department of Anesthesiology

Kevin Ward, MD: Associate VCURES Director: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Physiology

The new award will allow for VCURES to continue its work into understanding how PFC removes nitrogen as well as the limits of this technology. PFCs are capable of carrying significantly more nitrogen and oxygen than plasma.  The proposed studies will build upon what has recently been learned and will focus upon the use of helium/oxygen mixtures and other techniques to see if the PFCs could be utilized prior to emergency surfacing.   These new studies will employ the novel use of retinal angiography as a means of studying the cerebral microcirculation in response to decompression illness and its treatment. Dr. Spiess states “these studies will also advance our understanding of oxygen transport in many states of critical illness and injury”.

Decompression illness occurs when a diver ascends to the water's surface too quickly. Nitrogen gas that was dissolved in the blood stream forms bubbles and these bubbles clog important blood vessels supplying oxygen to the heart, brain, and spinal cord. This can result in massive stroke, paralysis and death. The project examines the novel use of PFC emulsions to carry and eliminate nitrogen as it comes out of solution during assent and to preserve oxygen delivery to vital tissues. DCS is a risk for sport diving, military missions where dive profiles have to be suddenly changed or in accidents, and is a primary impediment to direct escape from a disabled submarine.  The Unites States Navy has been tasked with creating a more realistic scenario for submarine rescue.

“The VCURES effort is part of that Navy priority and we are proud to play an integral role in advances towards a safer submarine operation for our sailors” says Dr. Spiess. This work is a part of the VCURES Operation Purple Heart combat casualty care program ( http://www.vcu.edu/vcures/purpleheart.htm ).

For more information contact Dr. Bruce Spiess at bdspiess@vcu.edu