| Despite careful health screening of astronauts, situations requiring medical expertise will arise during space flight. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis is paramount because it may not be possible to return the astronaut back to Earth for treatment, and often the necessary medical specialist and optimal equipment may not be available on-site. The NSBRI Smart Medical Systems and Technology Team is developing health monitoring and treatment technologies that are effective, small, easy to use, and in real-time, so that the crew can diagnose and treat illness, or when needed, enlist the help of remote experts.
Using ultrasound and video streaming technologies, NSBRI researchers are creating simple training methods and an interactive "space-normal" ultrasound image catalog to enable non-physicians to accurately scan and interpret exam results and share that data with distant medical specialists.
Increased resolution of ultrasound imaging has enabled the diagnoses of a variety of medical conditions including bone fractures, kidney stones, internal bleeding, and tumors. Members of the NSBRI Smart Medical Systems and Technology team are optimizing dual-purpose ultrasound devices that combine imaging and therapeutic functionalities. Guided by low-frequency ultrasonic imaging, a second therapeutic high-frequency transducer can be aimed to dissolve kidney stones, seal a blood vessel or destroy unwanted tissues such as cancerous lesions.
NSBRI scientists are crafting a sensor that can monitor muscle metabolism and enable astronauts to calculate the amount of oxygen required to carry out planned space-walk activities. This sensor will also be used to evaluate how effectively muscles use oxygenated blood and clear lactic acid to provide an assessment of the physical fitness of the astronauts throughout their stay in low gravity environments. |
