Wake Forest Baptist researches say new device helpful in treating brain injuries

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have determined that a new device for treating traumatic brain injury can reduce the size and extent of damaged tissue and prevent cell death.

The research was the focus of a three-year, $1.5 million study funded by the U.S. Defense Department. A report has been published in the journal Neurosurgery.

The technology, tested in rats, is called mechanical tissue resuscitation. It uses negative pressure to create an environment that fosters cell survival.

Similar negative-pressure devices have been used to treat wounds and burns.

"The Department of Defense has identified this as an area that is ripe for medical advancement," said study co-author Dr. Stephen Tatter, professor of neurosurgery at Wake Forest Baptist. "We believe it will soon be ready for a clinical trial."

The Wake Forest Baptist research team was led by Dr. Louis Argenta and Michael Morykwas, professors in the department of plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery.

The team used the device to remove fluid and other toxins that cause cell death from an injury site deep in the brain.

When the brain is injured by blunt force, explosion or other trauma, the cells at the impact site are irreversibly damaged and die.

In the area surrounding the wound, injured cells release toxic substances that cause the brain to swell and restrict blood flow and oxygen levels. This process results in more extensive cell death, which affects brain function.

A bioengineered material matrix was placed directly on the injured area in the brain and attached to a flexible tube connected to a microcomputer vacuum pump. The pump delivered a carefully controlled vacuum to the injured brain for 72 hours, drawing fluid from the injury site.

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Wake Forest Baptist researches say new device helpful in treating brain injuries