Traumatic haemorrhage and shock projects
Field: Surgery and subspecialties
Location: School of Biomedical Sciences (St Lucia)
Type of student:
- Higher Degree Research only i.e. PhD or MPhil (intercalated MD-PhD & MD-MPhil)
Type of work: Wet lab work
Brief synopsis:
A consequence of traumatic haemorrhagic shock can be hypocoagulability driven by both endogenous and exogenous mechanisms. Recognition of this is usually through blood coagulation measurements by either prothrombin time / INR or whole blood viscoelastic tests. Resuscitation strategies have changed to try and rectify the coagulation profile. Part of the strategy includes haemostatic resuscitation fluids such and Fresh Frozen Plasma and hypotensive resuscitation to avoid disrupting formed clot.
There is little work assessing the clot itself and the clot-endothelial-tissue interface.
This project will utilise out porcine traumatic haemorrhage model to study clot structure and the interaction with the tissues under varying conditions, including the evaluation of novel haemostatic snake venom based adjuncts. The focus will also include the role of platelets and macrovesicles on the clotting process.
The project will run partly at Gatton Campus for experimental animal work and is also a collaboration with the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Prerequisite skills: Enthusiasm
