Life-Saving Research on Immune Reactions in Victims of Serious Accidents
Trauma is the leading cause of death in the under-40 age group. Every year, more than 700,000 people in the Netherlands visit the Emergency Department (ED) with injuries from accidents or violence, of which an average of about 5,500 die.
Outside the hospital, the first care for severely injured victims is provided by ambulance services, supplemented with Mobile Medical Teams when necessary. These 'Trauma Helicopter Teams' stabilise the victim on-site and ensure rapid and adequate transport to the right hospital. A small portion cannot be stabilised and dies on the scene. However, of those who can be stabilised, a large portion still dies later on. This is because the immune system is also damaged as a result of the accident. This leaves the body vulnerable to infections, which can quickly spread, leading to organ failure and the eventual death of the patient. The Mobile Medical Team wants to address this, and we support them in this mission!
The first step in the research is to understand how the immune response in victims of serious accidents works in the body. There is still little known about this. To gain more insight, the Mobile Medical Team takes a small sample of blood at the scene of an accident.
New laboratory techniques now exist where more than 1,000 tests can be performed from a single drop of blood. This promising technique may be used in the future for patients who cannot afford to lose blood, such as victims of serious accidents, but also newborns, who already have low blood volume.
The next step in the research is to discover how the immune system can be strengthened with new medication. Initially, this will be tested in the laboratory using blood from serious accident patients. The ultimate goal is for the Mobile Medical Team to use this medication as soon as they arrive at an accident. Financial support to enable scientific research in this important field is lacking. Therefore, we support the Mobile Medical Team in their research so they can work on improving survival chances for serious trauma patients.
"With the great support of Reggeborgh Foundation, we can work towards a future where survival chances after a serious accident can be increased, and the quality of life after trauma improved. Anyone can suddenly become our patient!"
- Dr. Michiel Vaneker, Anesthesiologist and Physician with the Mobile Medical Team
