DoD Grant Receives Additional Funding


Dr. Stefania Fatone Awarded 
Supplemental Funding for Vacuum Pump

In December 2012, Dr.Fatone was awarded supplemental funding through the Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program (JWMRP) to augment and accelerate high priority Department of Defense (DoD) initiatives that imminently will achieve their objectives and yield a benefit to military medicine. This funding will supplement work on the "Development of Subischial Prosthetic Sockets with Vacuum-Assisted Suspension for Highly Active Persons with Transfemoral Amputations."

 Vacuum-assisted suspension uses an active pump to create a negative pressure differential between the interior of a prosthetic socket and the surface of a residual limb. The original project developed plans and submitted patent applications for three hybrid, integrated electric/mechanical pump systems that require further development to achieve full maturity and deployment within the military environment. 

 The objectives of this supplemental funding are to prototype and test these three hybrid vacuum pumps to create suitable vacuum for prosthesis suspension in highly active persons with transfemoral amputation. Joining Dr. Fatone on this project are NUPOC postdoctoral fellow, Matthew Major, PhD, and NUPOC instrument maker, Dilip Thaker. 

Socket Technology and Design Article

(Click on link above to be directed to article)

"Understanding how the body works and why a socket works may 
be more important than focusing on its manufacture"

O&P Business News


Center for Intrepid Visit -Brooks Army Medical Center


Ryan Caldwell, CP/L, visited CFI.Fatone and Caldwell Launch Collaborative Project with Center for the Intrepid (CFI)
October 29-31, 2012 -- As the final part of a 3-year project funded by the US Department of Defense (Grant #W81XWH-10-1-0744) to develop a flexible subischial prosthetic socket for highly active persons with transfemoral amputation, Stefania Fatone, PhD, BPO(Hons), Principal Investigator, and Ryan Caldwell, CP/L, Research Prosthetist, visited the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.. The CFI is a state-of-the-art facility for US military personnel who have sustained amputations, burns, or functional limb loss during their service in Afghanistan and Iraq. CFI offers cutting-edge technologies designed to be used for rehabilitation, research, education, and training. Dr. Fatone and Mr. Caldwell worked with CFI collaborators, Jason Wilken, PhD, and John Fergason, CP, to transition the project socket technology for final performance evaluation with military subjects. During the three day visit, Dr. Fatone and Mr. Caldwell enrolled three subjects; cast, fabricated, and fit check sockets; reviewed the draft instructional manual for socket fabrication; and finalized details of the study protocol.

Northwestern University Research Newsletter (direct link):

Bunny Rock 5 K




We were proud to support the Bunny Rock this year!

The Blade Runners:
The Chicago Blade Runners is a group dedicated to helping 
amputees interested in running.
Our group ranges from competitive athletes to recreational runners and typically do 4 5K's each summer. We will pair you with a guide who will be with you the entire race. 
The goal is to get to the finish line whether it's run, walk, hop, crutch or crawl!
The group is filled with great people who motivate and push each other to have fun and achieve their goals.
If you are an amputee who is interested in running or an able bodied runner interested in being a guide we  would love to welcome you in to our group.

News

Ryan CaldRyan Caldwell, CPwell, CP, LP, FAAOP, Articles Published
February 2012 -- Ryan Caldwell’s work in sub-atmospheric prosthetic systems is featured in The Academy Today. Mr. Caldwell examines appropriate candidacy, diagnoses and resolution of problems in sub-atmospheric prosthetic socket technology. Read Mr. Caldwell’s articles: “Patient Selection for a Sub-Atmospheric Prosthetic System” and “Troubleshooting Sub-Atmospheric Systems” (Supplement of The O&P EDGE, February, 2012). Mr. Caldwell is a Research Prosthetist at NUPOC part time.
http://www.nupoc.northwestern.edu/news-publications/news/

News



Sean Wood Defends Master's Thesis at NUPOCSean Wood
August 1 -- Sean Wood defended his master's thesis at NUPOC in the Childress Commons on Monday, August 1, 2011. Mr. Wood is a BS/MS student in mechanical engineering who is working on part of the Department of Defense-funded study at NUPOC, "Development of Subischial Prosthetic Sockets with Vacuum-Assisted Suspension for Highly Active Persons with Transfemoral Amputations." His research was funded by the Department of Defense project, Development of Subischial Prosthetic Sockets with Vacuum-assisted Suspension for Highly Active Persons with Transfemoral Amputations (Principal Investigator Stefania Fatone, PhD).

Mr. Wood's thesis is "Vacuum Pump Characterization and Development." His study identifies options for prosthetic vacuum pumps, characterizes the vacuum pumps that are available, and explores designs that may improve vacuum pump function for military amputees. To characterize the vacuum pumps, researchers evacuated air from chambers with known volumes. These volumes represent the air that must be removed from transfemoral sockets just after donning the prosthesis. After characterizing the pumps, researchers performed similar tests on human subjects to determine the total volume of the socket/liner interface. They compared the time required for evacuation to those obtained from the chambers of known volumes. With the knowledge gained from bench-top testing and human subject testing, researchers explored the issue of vacuum pump design and options to sustain pump activation. Two designs are proposed: 1) a hybrid mechanical/electrical vacuum pump; and 2) an energy harvesting pump. 

Northwestern Grant Information


The Northwestern Grant is well underway. As many of you know, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) granted 2.8 million dollars to Northwestern University to study advancing vacuum-system technology.

Please use the link (in red) below for more information.

Development of Subischial Prosthetic Sockets with Vacuum-Assisted Suspension for Highly Active Persons with Transfemoral Amputations

http://www.nupoc.northwestern.edu/research/lowerlimb/dod_subischial.html

Please feel free to contact me regarding this grant. My research days are Tuesdays, but you may leave a message with the secretary and/or email me at any time.

Email: r-caldwell@northwestern.edu
Telephone (Tuesday's only): (312) 503-5700
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