Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute
Introduction[edit]
CETRI's fundamental mission is the increase medical knowledge regarding the effects of human contact with strong high energy electrical fields or magnetic field pulse on humans. Although it is well known that strong electrical shocks can cause serious injury, the injury details matter wen it comes to anticipating the resulting clinical problems. Unlike other forms of trauma, electrical shock injury often cause injury through multiple physical mechanisms. From a bioengineering science perspective, the human body is a highly-complex electrochemical system that operates in as a tightly controlled and adaptable system to function purposefully across of a range of environments. Much of the body's decision making and physical actions are coordinated through very small physiological electrochemical messages transmitted from one living cell to another. The result is an unparalleled machine that is adaptable and intelligent. Because of humans and other living systems depend on electrochemical signaling for coordination and control, the components (i.e. cells) are very sensitive to electrochemical signals including electric fields.
Some tissues like nerve and muscle, are especially designed to be sensitive to electrical signals. This special sensitively renders them vulnerable to much stronger electrical signals that might result from accidental contact with engineered electrical systems like commercial electrical power. When that happens damage to tissues can result because of exposure to strong electrical force effects that include tissue heating and burn injury. The functional consequences can be highly variable from one electrical shock survivor to another.
Considerable medical research is needed to gain further insight into howe best to therapeutically intervene and treat survivors of electrical shock injury The fundamental mission of the Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute (CETRI) is to help survivors of electrical shock injury achieve successful recovery through research development and multidisciplinary care.Small text
Mission and history[edit]
The fundamental mission of the Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute (CETRI) is to help survivors of electrical shock injury achieve successful recovery through research development and multidisciplinary care.]] CETRI is located in Chicago, Illinois, was founded in 2009 by a group of scientists and physicians that had collaborated for more than 20 years to better understand and treat electrical injury patients. These collaborators were members of the faculty of four major medical centers in Chicago. Over the years, this multi-institution research team have published more than 120 scientific articles and three textbooks on the topic of electrical injury and have evaluated many electrical shock survivors. Some important discoveries made by this team are that electrical shock injury is mediated by multiple mechanisms including non-thermal electrical forces, which many electrical shock survivors develop neuropsychological problems even if the current never passed through the brain and progressive peripheral pain and sleeplessness often adds to the disability. However, some electrical shock survivors do not manifest these problems.[1]
Operations[edit]
CETRI's scientists and clinicians evaluate electrical shock survivors, then communicate with the medical providers in the patients community to optimize rehabilitation. Electrical shock injury is a complex multi-physical trauma that results in a range of clinical manifestations that differ from patient to patient. The explanation for this is one of CETRI's priority research focus areas. CETRI's research is funded by a both federal, private research agencies as well as public foundations. CETRI's publications are highly referenced in the scientific community and by trade magazines.[2]
Research Scope[edit]
Understanding the Connection Between Electrical Shock and Subsequent Neuromuscular Disorders
- One of CETRI's primary research goals is to understand the connection between electrical shock injury and the delayed onset of specific symptoms. These manifestations are typically related to neuromuscular pain and/or disability. CETRI's research priority is understanding the preinjury factors that predispose someone to neuromuscular problems and determining effective therapies to mitigate this.
Optimal Physical Therapy Approaches to Recovering From Electrical Shock Injury
- Neuromuscular retraining is an important aspect of successfully recovering from all forms of physical trauma, especially those that damage nerves and skeletal muscle. Proper healing and neuromuscular adaptation are important for a successful recovery. A fundamental priority for CETRI is to learn how best to maximize functional sensory and motor recovery following electrical shock injury.
Neuropsychological Sequelae of Electrical Shock Injury
- Over the past 30 years, CETRI has performed multidisciplinary clinical evaluations on hundreds of electrical shock survivors that contacted CETRI because of clinical complaints after surviving electrical shock. CETRI is working to parameterize and analyze the factors linking electrical shock and neuropsychological disorders.
Affiliated universities[edit]
See also[edit]
Reference List[edit]
- ^ "Research".
- ^ "PowerStudies". PowerStudies. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-11-10.