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Generation of Warfighter Avatars from Weapon Training Scene Images for Blast Exposure Simulations

Military personnel involved in weapon training are subjected to repeated low-level blasts. The prevailing method of estimating blast loads involves ...

US Army Medical Research and Development Command

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been suggested to be caused by direct head exposure and by torso exposure to a shock wave (thoracic hypotheses). It is unclear, however, how torso exposure affects the brain in real time. This study applied a mild-impulse laser-induced shock wave(s) (LISW[s]) only to the brain (Group 1), lungs (Group 2), or to the brain and lungs (Group 3) in rats. Because LISWs are unaccompanied by a dynamic pressure in principle, the effects of acceleration can be excluded, allowing analysis of the pure primary mechanism (the effects of a shock wave). For all rat groups, real-time monitoring of the brain and systemic responses were conducted for up to 1 h post-exposure and motor function assessments for up to seven days post-exposure. As reported previously, brain exposure alone caused cortical spreading depolarization (CSD), followed by long-lasting hypoxemia and oligemia in the cortices (Group 1). It was found that even LISW application only to the lungs caused prolonged hypoxemia and mitochondrial dysfunction in the cortices (Group 2). Importantly, features of CSD and mitochondrial dysfunction were significantly exacerbated by combined exposure (Group 3) compared with those caused by brain exposure alone (Group 1). Motor dysfunction was observed in all exposure groups, but their time courses differed depending on the groups. Rats with brain exposure alone exhibited the most evident motor dysfunction at one day post-exposure, and after that, it did not change much for up to seven days post-exposure. Alternatively, two groups of rats with lung exposure (Group 2 and Group 3) exhibited continuously aggravated motor functions for up to seven days post-exposure, suggesting different mechanisms for motor dysfunction caused by brain exposure and that caused by lung exposure. As for the reported thoracic hypotheses, our observations seem to support the volumetric blood surge and vagovagal reflex. Overall, the results of this study indicate the importance of the torso guard to protect the brain and its function.

Effects of Isolated and Combined Exposure of the Brain and Lungs to a Laser-Induced Shock Wave(s) on Physiological and Neurological Responses in Rats.

Experiences by service members in recent conflicts and training environments illuminate concerns about the possible effects of blast overpressure (BOP) exposure on brain health. Section 734 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 (Public Law 115-91) requires that the Secretary of Defense conducts a longitudinal medical study on blast pressure exposure of members of the Armed Forces during combat and training, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs was assigned responsibility for fulfilling requirements. The study's goal is to improve DoD's understanding of the impact of BOP exposure from weapon systems on service members' brain health and inform policy for risk mitigation, unit readiness, and health care decisions. This article focuses on the activities of the Weapon Systems Line of Inquiry (LOI) and the development of a prototype BOP Tool.

Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 734, Weapon Systems Line of Inquiry: Overview and Blast Overpressure Tool-A Module for Human Body Blast Wave Exposure for Safer Weapons Training.

Advancements in information technology have facilitated information exchange practices within the Military Health System (MHS), enabling "systems of systems" approaches that broaden and coordinate the set of capabilities available to enhance patient outcomes. This is applicable for MHS modeling and simulation (M&S) applications as well. Learning from successful approaches applied in current interoperability solutions used in the military helps to ensure interoperability practices yield trusted compositions of simulations.

Raj K. Gupta

US DoD Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office

US Army Medical Research and Development Command

Generation of Warfighter Avatars from Weapon Training Scene Images for Blast Exposure Simulations

Raj K. Gupta

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US Army Medical Research and Development Command

Generation of Warfighter Avatars from Weapon Training Scene Images for Blast Exposure Simulations

US DoD Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office