Current Research Projects
SIREN Network
Our Department is a clinical site for the NIH SIREN Network (Strategies to Innovate EmeRgENcy Care Clinical Trials Network). We are excited to be involved with SIREN and the upcoming research studies the network will execute/conduct. The goal of the SIREN Network is to improve the outcomes of patients with neurologic, cardiac, respiratory and hematologic emergencies by identifying effective treatments given in the earliest stages of care.
Airway Resuscitation Research
Dr. Robert De Lorenzo is the lead investigator on this effort to develop an autonomous and automatic airway and suction device suitable for use by pre- hospital personnel in far-forward and austere settings. This multi-faceted endeavor involves collaborations with investigators, researchers, and physicians from the Long School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UTSA’s College of Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Vancomycin Powder for Acute, Long-Bone, Open- Fracture Infection Prophylaxis
Emergency Medicine is coordinating and executing a study that will gauge the efficacy of powdered vancomycin in the use of long-bone open fractures. This project partners Emergency Medicine with investigators at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Brooke Army Medical Center, and the Long School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Trauma and Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. Dr. Robert De Lorenzo is the lead researcher on this project.
A Randomized Pilot Trial of Intramuscular Ketamine and Crisis Response Plan for Suicidal Ideation in the Emergency Department
Emergency Medicine, in collaboration with the STRONG STAR Consortium for the alleviation of PTSD, is carrying out a pilot study to assess the feasibility of administering a one-time intramuscular (IM) injection of ketamine paired with a brief, CBT-based psychosocial intervention called Crisis Response Plan to acutely suicidal patients in the ED. Dr. Robert De Lorenzo serves as PI and lead researcher on the project, with Dr. Romeo Fairley serving as Co-PI.