U of M undergraduate researcher Hunter King (center) studies high mortality rates associated with septic shock. He is flanked by biomedical engineering professor Erno Lindner (left) and graduate student James Atherton. (Photos by Rhonda Consentino)
U of M biomedical engineering major Hunter King sounds every bit the young scientist when asked to describe his research in sepsis and septic shock. “I can give you the short version, the medium version or the in-depth version,” says King, matter-of-factly. He proceeds to paint a perfect picture of how he and Herff College biomedical engineers Erno Lindner, Bradford Pendley and James Atherton are working to lower the mortality rate of those experiencing septic shock. The only thing missing from King’s presentation is a white lab coat. “People with severe septic shock in the hospital, their mortality rate is too unacceptably high,” says the Chattanooga, Tenn., native. “Methodist Hospital, for example, could have 30 people in septic shock at the same time in their ICU. “We are looking at ways to risk-stratify those patients in a manner that doctors can have specific information on them and then be able to give them an individualized quality of care. They should be able to say, ‘This patient is trending worse; this one, better; this one is critical.’” Septic shock is caused by a bacterial infection, which prompts widespread inflammation throughout the body, a dramatic drop in blood pressure and the failure of vital organs; it often develops in ICUs after surgery. It can be life threatening if undetected and untreated; Mayo Clinic scientists estimate the mortality rate is about 50 percent. The way to lower that high rate, King says, is to develop a more efficient device, which can measure a patient’s carbon dioxide level, determine whether sepsis is present — and, if so, how severe. “There are currently other technologies to measure this, but the
measurements from urine samples, thus giving doctors real-time information on patients with sepsis. King is confident the end result will mean lower mortality rates. King graduates in May, but he is already thinking ahead. “I want to get my MD and PhD in biomedical engineering to be able to do a balance of
problem is that they are too invasive for patients,” he says. “How can we
practicing as well as translational research. I want to be able to identify a
do this in a noninvasive way? Through the bladder and urine. By measur-
problem in a clinic and apply engineering research — and then bring solu-
ing the level of carbon dioxide in urine, we would be able to risk-stratify
tions back to the clinic.”
patients.” King used AutoCAD software to design a virtual 3-D prototype of a lab bench-top testing device, which was then built by the Herff College machine shop and will be used for testing patient samples. For the
Regenerating injured bone and cartilage Imagine being able to lose fat while at the same time helping make
upcoming clinical trial, urine samples will be retrieved by medical fellows
gains in the world of medicine. That is a small — but nonetheless inter-
and brought to the U of M to be measured. Ultimately, the device would
esting — component of research being conducted by undergraduate
work via a catheter in a hospital setting to quickly and non-invasively gain
biomedical engineering major Elizabeth Duncan.
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