Sequential versus Combined Medical Therapies as a Novel Heterotopic Ossification Prevention Strategy
Abstract
The long-term treatment of military warfighters who sustain severe battlefield blast-related extremity injuries and/or multiple limb amputations is one of the major challenges for military healthcare providers. A common complication facing modern combat casualties is the extra-skeletal development of bone within damaged/healing tissue resulting in soft tissue heterotopic ossification (HO). HO is more prevalent in military trauma, occurring in approximately 65-67 percent of amputations and nearly 62 percent of limb sparing procedures. Importantly, clinicians describe HO as the single most important barrier to meaningful functional mobility, independence, and return to military service. In the proposed research, we will use our physiologic model of blast and extremity trauma-induced heterotopic ossification (HO) to test and investigate two drugs (Palovarotene and Rapamycin) which are FDA approved and are currently used clinically for various indications, so that our goal of reaching clinical trials in human patients within five years can become realistic. Our physiologic model of blast-related HO extremity injury incorporates many of the same critical injury patterns detected in combat service members causalities with acute extremity injuries/amputation, including blast overpressure exposure, a comminuted femur fracture, and crush injury to the surrounding musculoskeletal tissue.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1152491
Entities
People
- Carolyn Gosztyla
- Stephen Kaba
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences