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Overview

Intuitive Ultrasound Catalog for Autonomous Medical Care

Principal Investigator:
Scott A. Dulchavsky, M.D., Ph.D.

Organization:
Henry Ford Health System

If an astronaut is injured or becomes ill in space, going to a doctor’s office or to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment is not an option. Unless there is a doctor on the mission, it will be up to other crew members to provide help to that astronaut. On the International Space Station, astronauts have access to ultrasound, which according to previous research can be used to diagnose 75 percent of medical conditions in space.

Dr. Scott Dulchavsky and colleagues are developing a catalog of ground-acquired ultrasound images to use for medical diagnosis in flight. Dulchavsky will conduct simulations to assess the ability of non-physician crew members to obtain and interpret ultrasound examinations on their own or with remote guidance from physicians on the ground. In addition, he seeks to develop a model that allow changes in organ shape and location to be predicted based upon pre- and in-flight ultrasound images.

The project has several Earth applications, including training for non-physicians to use ultrasound to monitor and diagnose medical conditions in remote locations.

NASA Taskbook Entry

Technical Summary

The diagnosis and management of acute health problems in space is problematic. There is no radiological capability aboard the International Space Station (ISS); however, an ultrasound system is operational.

Terrestrial investigations suggest expanded clinical applications of ultrasound which could be used to diagnose over 75 percent of space medical conditions. This project will use an outcomes-oriented approach to develop an intuitive ultrasound image catalog, coupled with just-in-time training methods, to allow non-experts to acquire and interpret advanced ultrasound examinations.

Specific Aims

  1. Develop an intuitive ultrasound image cataloging system which incorporates ground-acquired ultrasound whole body images. The catalog will acquire ground-based crew member images to use for medical diagnosis in space.
  2. Develop a mathematical coupling model based on existing ground/in-flight ultrasound data which will allow microgravity-associated morphometric and topographic changes to be predicted.
  3. Assess the ability of non-physician crew medical officer analogs to acquire and interpret complex ultrasound examinations autonomously or with remote guidance.
The constraints of spaceflight require the development of novel strategies for crew member health problems including ultrasound. Evidence-based trials have demonstrated the accuracy of ultrasound in aerospace-relevant clinical conditions when performed and interpreted by experts. ISS experiments have shown that just-in-time trained astronaut crew members, augmented by onboard proficiency enhancement, can acquire complex, diagnostic quality ultrasound images.

Earth Applications

The educational methods that were developed for the Intuitive Ultrasound Catalog are directly beneficial to medical care on Earth. These methods have been successfully transitioned to the following organizations:


• United States Olympic Committee: We supported the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver
• National Football League: We are currently working with the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago Bears
• National Hockey League: Detroit Red Wings
• American League Baseball: Detroit Tigers
• National Basketball Association: Detroit Pistons
• United Nations: Millennium Development Project, Team Leader Infopoverty Section.
• WINFOCUS: World Conference on Ultrasound, Critical Care Medicine Symposium.
• University of Michigan Center for Entrapreneurship: Technology Development
• Wayne State University School of Medicine: used for medical student ultrasound education
• American College of Surgeons: the Basic Ultrasound Course for Surgeons uses this technology.

Our ocular ultrasound technique to measure intra-cranial pressure is being tested in human trials in the ICU and was presented to the Armed forces. A number of spinoff companies, Medical Imagineering, and Ultrasound Education Technologies were formed to produce phantom ultrasound models, and ultrasound training videos respectively. Major ultrasound manufacturers (GE, Sonosite) and simulation centers now use these products.

 

This project's funding ended in 2011