DoD Physicians Outline Burn Treatment Advances
Two are now in clinical trials and involve replacement skin grown in a lab and a “spray-on” skin process, according to a report by Terri Moon Cronk of American Forces Press Service.
A panel of military doctors discussed advancements that the Department of Defense has made in treating patients with burn injuries at the Military Health System Research Symposium on Aug. 15, a conference sponosored by DoD and held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Terri Moon Cronk of American Forces Press Service wrote a report on the "Breakthrough Science: Opportunities in Regenerative Medicine" panel that was featured on www.defense.gov.
Her report says about 100 severely burned soldiers per year were treated during the peak of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but that number has "come down dramatically due to some excellent work at protecting our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from burn injuries -- the vehicles that protect them, clothing that's burn resistant, and fire-suppression systems in vehicles," Army Col. John Scherer, director of the Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Program at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, Md., said.
Two advancements mentioned in her articles as being in clinical trials currently are replacing burned skin with skin grown in a lab and a new "spray-on" skin process, according to Dr. David Baer, director of research at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. "The early results are excellent. We're waiting for final results and we're looking forward to getting those FDA-approved," he said.