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COMPUTERIZED DEVICES HELP WOUNDED TROOPS

RESUME LIVES -- From bionic limbs to virtual-reality therapy,

a variety of high-tech systems are providing war-wounded

veterans the chance to regain a sense of normalcy.

 

 

For more about prosthetic devices, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
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Story here... http://www.orlandosentinel.
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08,0,1581895.story

Story below:

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Computerized devices help wounded troops resume lives

Richard Burnett
Sentinel Staff Writer

Every time he taps his computerized leg, walks into his college class or horses around with his 9-year old son, Sgt. Chris Gordon knows there is life after war. And he'll never take it for granted again.

Gordon almost died in an ambush in Iraq, when an improvised explosive device hit his Stryker patrol vehicle in 2005. The blast hurled him through the hatch, ripped his body and severed much of his right leg.

Today, after a long rehab, the 32-year-old Clermont resident is among many wounded veterans who are tapping into high technology in the physical aftermath of combat. "I can walk around fine now, I can drive, I can do a lot of things normally," he said.

From bionic limbs to virtual-reality therapy, a variety of high-tech systems are providing war-wounded veterans the chance to regain a sense of normalcy.

Some of the work is being done in Central Florida, where scientists are crafting new therapies for combat trauma, creating new peripherals for high-tech prosthetics and connecting the blind to the Web with the latest interactive software.

Experts say the need is growing dramatically: The number of U.S. war-wound victims is quickly approaching 40,000, many of them suffering amputations, brain injury, paralysis or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We've already been treating a lot of vets with limb loss for years," said Terry Watts, chief of prosthetics for the Veterans Affairs clinic in Orlando. "Now with the focus on traumatic brain injury, the VA has mandated all health-care facilities increase their mental-health capabilities. That's going to triple our workload."

Some systems, such as the computer-based limbs, are already out there and widely used. Others, such as fully bionic legs, are new and available to relatively few. Also, there are more exotic devices such as synthetic eyes and brain-activated robotic limbs that are still in the laboratory. But they, too, may be only years away from the mainstream.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida are working on an "immersive" virtual-reality system designed to help brain-injured people regain their memories and re-learn basic routines. The recent pilot study fused digital imagery with real-life staging to re-create the home of a stroke victim, who had serious brain damage.

Blane, whose family asked that his last name not be used to protect his privacy as he recovers, would wander aimlessly in his kitchen, unable even to fix a cup of coffee. UCF researchers created a physical replica of his kitchen and a digital replica of the rest of his house.

In the study, the former firefighter donned a computerized headset that seamlessly merged the virtual and physical images. He was "immersed" in a familiar setting, while a therapist helped guide him.

The first day, it took him more than four hours to prepare breakfast. After five sessions, he did it in a fraction of the time, researchers said.

Veterans Affairs is already eyeing the system and a research grant is pending, said Randall Shumaker, executive director of UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training, which conducted the study.

In the prosthetics area, wounded veterans from across the country have come to Orlando for treatment by specialists with the latest in synthetic-limb technology, said Watts, the VA's prosthetics chief in Orlando.

Though the sophisticated electronic limbs are produced elsewhere, some specialists have developed their own modifications that can be customized to a soldier's needs, he said.

Orlando prosthetist Stan Patterson, for example, heads Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates, a clinic that has become a hotbed of such efforts, according to Watts. The local VA clinic has directed many wounded veterans there, including Gordon.

Gordon and other above-knee amputees say Patterson's key contribution is a vacuum-powered fitting system that secures an electronic prosthetic leg to the residual limb, without the use of cumbersome belts or straps.

That system has been a big leap in prosthetic technology, according to Maj. Dan Gade, an Iraqi war veteran who lost his entire right leg almost three years ago in a roadside bomb explosion in Ramadi. He has worn his current prosthetic from Patterson since December 2006.

Now a government consultant on veterans' health issues, based in Washington, Gade is among the scores of wounded veterans treated in Orlando.

"There are some types of amputations, especially those above the knee, that are very difficult to treat and a prosthetist has to have a very creative method to do it," Gade said. "Stan has carved out a niche for himself in that area."

Gade wears one of only 30 fully bionic legs in existence so far, according to Patterson, who says he has fitted four patients with them.

The so-called power knee enables extreme amputees to climb stairs and perform other difficult tasks.

"To me, the only truly good thing that has come out of this war are these kinds of advances in prosthetics," Patterson said. "These wounded veterans are actually driving the entire forefront of technology, engaging the private sector and prompting manufacturers to come up with more innovative products."

Advances in software have also helped wounded veterans, according to Orlando-based Lighthouse Central Florida, a nonprofit agency that works with visually impaired people. Sophisticated interactive software will now read Web-site text to the blind, enabling them to surf the Internet.

"This really allows the veterans to live much more independently," said David Ushiro, a staff instructor, who is blind. "So far, I've only worked with veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. But from what I've heard about the kinds of injuries in Iraq, I'm sure we'll also be seeing those veterans before long."

But some veterans advocates say the government may find itself largely unprepared or under-prepared for the influx of veteran disabilities that are flowing into the health-care system.

Thomas Stripling, research director for the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Washington, said the financial demands of war are draining dollars from the VA's treatment for survivors.

"I know there's a lot of money being spent on some pretty fantastic things that are in the pipeline," Stripling said. "But the big challenge is whether the VA can actually afford these things. Every year they run into a significant deficit and can't seem to keep up with existing operations."

VA officials contend they are responding quickly to the increased demand. For example, the agency recently earmarked $3 billion in additional funding for mental-health resources, the agency said.

"We are adapting to the two major signature injuries of this war, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder," VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said in a recent speech.

Some researchers say they're seeing a noticeable increase in funding available from the VA, other branches of the armed forces and other government agencies.

In all, an estimated $150 million is available to develop new therapies for combat-related brain injury and post-traumatic stress, said Mark Wiederhold, president of Virtual Reality Medical Center, which recently opened a production center in Orlando.

Wiederhold said the therapeutic systems they are developing with UCF researchers could be available to the VA as soon as next year. The partnership has already received several million dollars in government grants for the work.

"We'll be pretty aggressive at going after other funding," he said. "This technology has a vast potential for helping veterans regain their lives.

Richard Burnett can be reached at
rburnett@orlandosentinel.com  or 407-420-5256.

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Larry Scott  --