Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation

In a new study out today in PLOS Digital Health, the Analytic for Hemodynamic Instability-Predictive Indicator (AHI-PI) from Weil Institute spin-off Fifth Eye Inc. demonstrated the ability to detect patient deterioration prior to Rapid Response Team (RRT) events. An RRT event occurs when a dedicated team of healthcare professionals is mobilized to respond to a patient's critical deterioration. Detecting patient deterioration early is crucial, as it provides clinicians with more time to intervene, potentially preventing crises, improving patient outcomes, and reducing hospital costs. AHI-PI, an AI-driven, FDA-cleared analytic based on monitoring ECG waveforms from a single ECG lead, demonstrated that its capabilities not only excel in high-acuity environments like the ICU but also hold promise for broader application in step-down units and general hospital wards, where continuous patient monitoring is more limited. By potentially extending its use with wearable ECG technology, AHI-PI could offer continuous, non-invasive monitoring that proactively identifies at-risk patients, enabling earlier interventions and reducing the need for more intensive care. Read full story: https://lnkd.in/eSB-iJnk View study: https://lnkd.in/ecaeEgRm #predictiveanalytics #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #rapidresponseteam

The Weil Institute will have a major presence at this year's Celebrate Invention event, happening from 3-6 PM today in the Michigan League. Dr. Kevin Ward, Executive Director of the Weil Institute and Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, will be formally recognized as the 2024 Distinguished University Innovator of the Year. Dr. Ward will also participate on a discussion panel with fellow prominent innovators focused on the challenges and successes of bringing life-saving medical technologies from concept to market, and highlighting the role of entrepreneurship in advancing critical care. On the show floor, the Weil Institute will have two kiosks up for display featuring Weil partners and technologies including Precision Trauma and the "Turn-i-Kit," a simple and effective tourniquet designed to be used by civilians, as well as RUA Diagnostics and the "Micro-GC" analyzer, which can diagnose and monitor multiple diseases with just a breath. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eXJ84P8H About Celebrate Invention: https://lnkd.in/g5jCNQGE

InspireRx, LLC., a spin-off company of the Weil Institute, received over $2 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the NIH and CDC to support further development of the AerosolVE BioHelmet, a compact negative pressure system for patients with highly contagious airborne respiratory infections. Initial work on the BioHelmet began in March of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 global health crisis. The helmet was developed alongside a complementary technology, the AerosolVE Tent, which received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA in 2021. Worn around the patient’s head, the device pulls ambient air into the helmet and subsequently directs this air with the patient’s exhaled breath through an attached HEPA filter to remove pathogens. The rate of flow produced provides 800 air exchanges per hour, which is 70 times more air exchanges than a traditional negative pressure room at a fraction of the cost. The helmet is also designed to accommodate non-invasive oxygen treatments, helping to spare the need for mechanical ventilation. “It started as a simple and straightforward idea conceived while brainstorming with my daughter, Shalini Kota,” said Principal Investigator Dr. Sridhar Kota, CEO of InspireRx, Herrick Emeritus Professor of Engineering and a member of the Weil Institute. “What followed was a quick prototype to meet an urgent need, which would go on to save lives within a few weeks thanks to Drs. Ben Bassin, Nathan Haas and Kevin Ward. That, to me, was the most gratifying outcome of all.” Now, the additional support from the NIH and CDC will allow the team to manufacture production quality units, enabling further testing and refinement of the BioHelmet as the team strives toward FDA approval. Full story: https://lnkd.in/eVnF7Y9t #criticalcare #covid19 #engineering #biomedicalengineering #innovation

Innovators who are currently pursuing commercialization or are looking to get started but need more information may want to check out the two following opportunities! Starting October 1: The Purdue Pathways to Impact workshop series, hosted by Purdue University, is for PhD students, Postdocs, and early career faculty who wish to ensure that their research and careers have significant economic and societal impact. Sessions take place on 10/1, 10/15, 10/29, and 11/12 from 5-6PM ET. You can register for whichever workshops interest you. All sessions occur virtually over Zoom. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eXmijEZM On October 11: The 2024 University of Michigan I-Corps virtual workshop begins! This free program aims to equip researchers with the tool kit (in essence, a scientific method) to identify and validate the industry problem(s) their research could tackle. The knowledge obtained from engaging with stakeholders will be valuable for applying for state or federal grants, for forming industry partnerships and to shape use-inspired research. These programs are not only for faculty, but are also excellent learning and networking opportunities for PhD students and Postdocs who are interested in conducting use-inspired research. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ga3mTQnD

We are proud to announce that our executive director, Dr. Kevin Ward, and professor of emergency medicine and biomedical engineering, has been named the 2024 Distinguished University Innovator of the Year! This award is the University of Michigan’s highest honor for faculty who have shown leadership in bringing new ideas to the marketplace. Dr. Ward has achieved many incredible accomplishments during his time at U-M, including establishing the Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation and the Fast Forward Medical Innovation program, founding multiple startups and receiving FDA approval for several of his innovations. To learn more about Dr. Ward’s career and why he was selected for the Distinguished University Innovator of the Year Award, please visit https://myumi.ch/5y1gr Dr. Ward will be presented with the Distinguished University Innovator of the Year Award at Innovation Partnerships Celebrate Invention on Tuesday, October 15. Learn more about the event and register today at https://myumi.ch/RmdzD. We hope to see you there!

Weil Institute investigators, co-led by Dr. Florian Schmitzberger, have received a two-year, $800,000 DoD grant to examine how key elements of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) developed to inform trauma care delivery in the United States have been adopted and adapted for the war in Ukraine. The CPGs issued by the United States Joint Trauma System (JTS) offer a standardized and consistent approach to trauma care for providers of all levels in conflict conditions. While Ukraine has adopted many facets of the JTS CPGs as best practices, differences in the country’s healthcare infrastructure as well as the dynamic environment of the battlefield pose unique implementation challenges that warrant data-driven exploration. By conducting utilization and utility surveys on the mobilization in Ukraine, the team will produce a prospective matrix that will provide actionable recommendations and adjustments to the guidelines that are uniquely tailored and immediately relevant to the Ukrainian military and civilian healthcare systems. The insights gained from this initial study will be used to develop a working framework to better guide partner nations of the United States in responding to medical emergencies in large-scale combat operations. The ultimate goal is for these guidelines to be easily adopted by both civilian and military medical systems worldwide, improving outcomes and reducing casualties. Full Story: https://lnkd.in/eiHQ4vyf #criticalcare #emergencymedicine #military #combatcare #traumacare

The Weil Institute is launching a new national K12 program to support early-career faculty in Emergency Medicine! Funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Neuro-EM Scholars is a five-year program that will recruit, mentor and train early-career emergency medicine physicians to perform high-impact research on neurological disorders commonly seen in pre-hospital and emergency department settings. In addition to the main K12 program, Neuro-EM Scholars also includes a Pipeline Program that will provide advance training for up to ten investigators who are not yet eligible or ready to apply for the K12. Dr. Robert Neumar, Professor and Chair of Emergency Medicine and a member of the Weil Institute, will lead the Neuro-EM Scholars program alongside a team of co-directors and an advisory board comprised of national experts in emergency medicine and the neurological sciences. “Each year, there are over 130 million emergency departments visits across the United States, many of which involve injuries and illnesses related to the brain,” said Neumar. “Our aim is to support promising emergency medicine researchers who are at the beginning of their careers and ensure they have the time, mentorship, and training needed to effectively perform research that can improve the care of patients with these conditions.” Read full article: https://lnkd.in/evJeW2_K Visit the program website: https://lnkd.in/enqppejG Read Society of Academic Emergency Medicine feature (p. 50-51): https://lnkd.in/erTUEJ8g #NeuroEMScholars #criticalcare #neuro #tbi #stroke

The Weil Institute is thrilled to announce the debut of "MAX", our official magazine! MAX is both a showcase and a celebration of how the Weil Institute is enabling its members to tackle key critical care challenges and develop lifesaving solutions. Featured inside are stories from not just the Institute itself, but also our partners and supporters across the University of Michigan community. MAX will be published annually as a digital flip book?and in limited print form. We invite you dive into the first issue and learn more about the people and discoveries that are helping to reshape the landscape of critical care as we know it. Read the first issue online: https://lnkd.in/eWTQZR3D #criticalcare #research #innovation #medtech #icu #emergencymedicine #engineering

The Weil Institute Data Science Team was invited to showcase its expertise on a global stage at the 2024 Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Learning Health Systems (SAIL) in Puerto Rico. Launched in 2020, this prestigious meeting unites leading groups across healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) spaces with the goal of fostering collaboration between methodologists and key decision makers, and better integrating the clinical informatics and machine learning communities. Notably, every abstract submitted by the Data Science Team was chosen for display at the symposium, meaning that four out of the only forty-eight original research projects selected for the showcase were from the Weil Institute. Further adding to the accolades, Dr. Ansari was also chosen to present one of the abstracts as an official SAIL Spotlight Talk—an honor reserved for only five projects total. Read More: https://lnkd.in/evaA4vD9 #datascience #machinelearning #criticalcare #healthcareAI #clinicalinformatics

When a patient presents with a bloodstream infection, care teams must quickly identify the species of bacteria responsible for the infection and determine which antibiotic will be most effective. Early administration of a targeted, pathogen-specific treatment is key to a good outcome. However, the current gold standard workflow for diagnosing BSIs can take multiple days due to its reliance on culturing. To address the urgent need for reducing time-to-diagnosis in bloodstream infections, a team of clinicians and engineers from the Weil Institute, Cleveland State University and start-up company Rapidect, Inc. are developing a rapid, ultrasensitive assay that can accurately detect and identify pathogens in blood without the need for bacteria culturing. "There is a huge discrepancy in how quickly we need to know the species of bacteria that’s causing an infection and what it’s susceptible to, and how long it takes us to get that information," said Dr. J. Scott VanEpps, Associate Director of the Weil Institute, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Macromolecular Science and Engineering, and one of the developers of the “rapid detection-analysis platform” (RDAP). "We typically start antibiotics and get culture simultaneously, but it could still be 2-3 days before we get the information we need. Our goal with RDAP is to skip all of that and detect the bacteria in the very beginning.” Read More: https://lnkd.in/e4XVdHe8 View full study: https://lnkd.in/eds7Md_J #diagnostics #criticalcare #sepsis #septicshock #infections