| Applied
Research at the Legacy Biomechanics Laboratory
seeks to advancing a clinical problem through
research, development, testing, and technology
transfer into a product for the improvement
of patient care. This ‘Bench-to-Bedside’
approach has been successfully completed for
the Pelvic Sling, and is currently applied for
rib fracture fixation and locked plating.
Pelvic Sling
Pelvic ring fractures can lead
to life-threatening internal blood loss. Early
stabilization of the broken pelvis can effectively
control internal bleeding. We conducted laboratory
research to determine optimal parameters, efficacy
and safety of non-invasive stabilization with
an external pelvic sling. Based on results of
this study, we developed a pelvic sling, which
allows for optimal application of pelvic stabilization
at the accident scene. In a prospective multi-center
clinical trail, conducted at Legacy and OHSU,
the performance of the pelvic sling has been
documented. After obtaining patents, the pelvic
sling has been successfully licensed to the
Seaberg Corporation. Today, this “SAM
SLING” has sold over 20,000 times in over
10 countries, and has been implemented by the
British and the US Army.
Funding Source: Department of
Defense / Office of Naval Research
U.S. Patents No. 6,554,784 and 7,008,389.
www.samsling.com
Rib
Plating
A broken rib can heal quickly
and typically does not require fixation. However,
multiple segmental rib fractures in form of
a flail chest can compromise lung function and
are associated with an increased mortality rate.
Fixation of serial rib fractures with plates
can decrease the associated mortality [1]. Marcus
Mohr, M.S., completed a comprehensive study
to determine the average geometry of human ribs
[2,3,4]. Based on these findings, we developed
a surgical chest wall
fixation system. This system combines the advantages
of soft tissue-sparing intramedullary fixation
and anatomically pre-contoured plating. Advancing
a technique first employed in the 1970s
[5], this two-pronged solution provides the
surgeon with the maximum flexibility for time-efficient
restoration of chest-wall integrity.
Funding Source: Legacy Foundation
Patents pending
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