Ultrasound (US) imaging is a critical tool in emergency and military medicine because of its portability and immediate nature. However, proper image interpretation requires skill, limiting its utility in remote applications for conditions such as pneumothorax (PTX) which requires rapid intervention. Artificial intelligence has the potential to automate ultrasound image analysis for various pathophysiological conditions. Training models require large data sets and a means of troubleshooting in real-time for ultrasound integration deployment, and they also require large animal models or clinical testing. Here, we detail the development of a dynamic synthetic tissue phantom model for PTX and its use in training image classification algorithms. The model comprises a synthetic gelatin phantom cast in a custom 3D-printed rib mold and a lung mimicking phantom. When compared to PTX images acquired in swine, images from the phantom were similar in both PTX negative and positive mimicking scenarios. We then used a deep learning image classification algorithm, which we previously developed for shrapnel detection, to accurately predict the presence of PTX in swine images by only training on phantom image sets, highlighting the utility for a tissue phantom for AI applications.

Trauma and hemorrhage are leading causes of death and disability worldwide in both civilian and military contexts. The delivery of life-saving goal-directed fluid resuscitation can be difficult to provide in resource-constrained settings, such as in forward military positions or mass-casualty scenarios. Automated solutions for fluid resuscitation could bridge resource gaps in these austere settings. While multiple physiological closed-loop controllers for the management of hypotension have been proposed, to date there is no consensus on controller design. Here, we compare the performance of four controller types—decision table, single-input fuzzy logic, dual-input fuzzy logic, and proportional–integral–derivative using a previously developed hardware-in-loop test platform where a range of hemorrhage scenarios can be programmed. Controllers were compared using traditional controller performance metrics, but conclusions were difficult to draw due to inconsistencies across the metrics. Instead, we propose three aggregate metrics that reflect the target intensity, stability, and resource efficiency of a controller, with the goal of selecting controllers for further development. These aggregate metrics identify a dual-input, fuzzy-logic-based controller as the preferred combination of intensity, stability, and resource efficiency within this use case. Based on these results, the aggressively tuned dual-input fuzzy logic controller should be considered a priority for further development.

Central vascular access (CVA) may be critical for trauma care and stabilizing the casualty. However, it requires skilled personnel, often unavailable during remote medical situations and combat casualty care scenarios. Automated CVA medical devices have the potential to make life-saving therapeutics available in these resource-limited scenarios, but they must be properly designed. Unfortunately, currently available tissue phantoms are inadequate for this use, resulting in delayed product development. Here, we present a tissue phantom that is modular in design, allowing for adjustable flow rate, circulating fluid pressure, vessel diameter, and vessel positions. The phantom consists of a gelatin cast using a 3D-printed mold with inserts representing vessels and bone locations. These removable inserts allow for tubing insertion which can mimic normal and hypovolemic flow, as well as pressure and vessel diameters. Trauma to the vessel wall is assessed using quantification of leak rates from the tubing after removal from the model. Lastly, the phantom can be adjusted to swine or human anatomy, including modeling the entire neurovascular bundle. Overall, this model can better recreate severe hypovolemic trauma cases and subject variability than commercial CVA trainers and may potentially accelerate automated CVA device development.