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A New Hybrid Quantitative Evaluation Model for Axillary Junctional Hemorrhage in Swine
Published on: December 6, 2024
258
Analysis of Injury Metrics From Experimental Cardiac Injuries From Behind Armor Blunt Trauma Using Live Swine Tests:
Narayan Yoganandan1, Alok Shah1, Jared Koser1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
Military Medicine
|June 15, 2024
Summary
This study used live swine to test body armor blunt impact, finding the viscous criterion metric better predicts cardiac injury risk than current standards. These findings can improve warfighter protection.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Trauma Biomechanics
- Protective Equipment Research
Background:
- Current body armor standards for blunt impact are outdated and do not account for varying thoracoabdominal organ properties.
- Existing behind armor blunt impact criteria lack effectiveness in representing diverse injury risks across different anatomical regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiac impact biomechanics using a live animal model.
- To analyze candidate injury metrics for behind armor blunt trauma.
- To develop more effective injury criteria for warfighter protection.
Main Methods:
- Live swine underwent cardiac region impacts simulating body armor backface deformation.
- Biomechanical data including velocity, deflection, energy, force, momentum, and the viscous criterion were recorded.
- Physiological monitoring and necropsies were performed to assess injuries.
Main Results:
- Impacts generated peak velocities (30-59 m/s), deflections (15-21%), and energies (105-407 J).
- The viscous criterion showed a distinct pattern with increasing velocity compared to other metrics.
- Injuries ranged from none to skeletal, lung, and cardiac trauma.
Conclusions:
- The live animal model effectively characterized behind armor blunt trauma to the cardiac region.
- The viscous criterion shows promise for developing new cardiac trauma injury risk curves.
- Improved injury criteria can enhance body armor effectiveness and reduce warfighter morbidity and mortality.

