Children are seven times more likely to die from explosions than adults. They tend to suffer different types of injuries than adults and require specific care that takes their physiology and growth into account. However, research on the best ways to treat blast injuries specifically in children lags far behind research on injured adults.
To meet these needs, Imperial College London andsave the childrentoday opened the Pediatric Blast Injury Study Center at Imperial'swhite cityfacilities. The center brings together physicians, engineers, pain specialists, surgical humanists, and prosthetics and rehabilitation professionals who are already driving new research and innovation to meet the clinical needs of children with blast injuries.
The team will initially focus on addressing the shortage of prosthetic devices for musculoskeletal and extremity injuries in Ukraine, where four children are injured or killed every day and where mines and UXOs take the lives and limbs of more than two million children threaten.
director of the centerProfessor Antonio Toro, from ImperialDepartment of Bioengineering, said: “With more and more children living in conflict zones today, we need child-specific translational research that addresses everything from initial emergency care and treatments to prosthetics and development into adulthood. This new center will fill an unmet need: treating children with blast injuries in a highly translational, research-based way so they can grow into healthy adults.”
CEO von Save the Children UKGwen HinesHe said: “For tens of thousands of children in Ukraine, war has become part of everyday life. Bombs are raining down from the sky and explosive devices are now littering the ground near where they live and play.
“Tragically, there has never been a more urgent need for the knowledge and tools to better protect and care for children when they are injured by these weapons of war. This new center is the next phase of an innovative collaboration – not just between Save the Children and Imperial, but with partners and allies on the ground in conflict zones from Yemen to Colombia, Afghanistan to Ukraine.”
Opened the world's first center dedicated to researching and delivering life-saving innovations to children injured by explosive weapons.
Children are seven times more likely to die from explosions than adults. They tend to suffer different types of injuries than adults and require specific care that takes their physiology and growth into account. However, research on the best ways to treat blast injuries specifically in children lags far behind research on injured adults.
To meet these needs, Imperial College London andsave the childrentoday opened the Pediatric Blast Injury Study Center at Imperial'swhite cityfacilities. The center brings together physicians, engineers, pain specialists, surgical humanists, and prosthetics and rehabilitation professionals who are already driving new research and innovation to meet the clinical needs of children with blast injuries.
"As more children live in conflict zones today, we need child-specific translational research that looks at everything from first aid to treatments, prosthetics and development into adulthood." Professor Anthony BullDepartment of Bioengineering
The team will initially focus on addressing the shortage of prosthetic devices for musculoskeletal and extremity injuries in Ukraine, where four children are injured or killed every day and where mines and UXOs take the lives and limbs of more than two million children threaten.
director of the centerProfessor Antonio Toro, from ImperialDepartment of Bioengineering, said: “With more and more children living in conflict zones today, we need child-specific translational research that addresses everything from initial emergency care and treatments to prosthetics and development into adulthood. This new center will fill an unmet need: treating children with blast injuries in a highly translational, research-based way so they can grow into healthy adults.”
CEO von Save the Children UKGwen HinesHe said: “For tens of thousands of children in Ukraine, war has become part of everyday life. Bombs are raining down from the sky and explosive devices are now littering the ground near where they live and play.
“Tragically, there has never been a more urgent need for the knowledge and tools to better protect and care for children when they are injured by these weapons of war. This new center is the next phase of an innovative collaboration – not just between Save the Children and Imperial, but with partners and allies on the ground in conflict zones from Yemen to Colombia, Afghanistan to Ukraine.”
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “At Imperial College London we are driven by a commitment to making a difference in the world through our research. The devastating impact of blast injuries on children in conflict zones is a powerful example of why this is important.
“Some of the greatest advances in healthcare come from interdisciplinary research. Imperial's vibrant interdisciplinary research culture and world-leading expertise in blast injuries place us in an ideal position to find solutions to this urgent global crisis. We're proud to partner with Save the Children to ensure our research has an impact where it's needed most."
Unique unmet needs
The latest data showed in 2021 that one in six children worldwide (449 million children) lived in a conflict zone. That number will increase dramatically given the Ukraine conflict. These children are at high risk of injury and death from explosive weapons.
Risks also lurk after conflicts have ended: children are 50 percent more likely to suffer blast injuries after fights have ended, as many of their injuries occur when they go back to play and pick up unsafe ordnance.
“At Imperial College London we are driven by a commitment to making a difference in the world through our research. The devastating impact of blast injuries on children in conflict zones is a powerful example of why this matters.” Professor Hugh Brady President, Imperial College London
After an explosion, children tend to suffer more internal damage than adults because their underdeveloped skulls and muscles offer less protection for their brain, lungs, and organs.
Just like Imperial's adult-focused pioneerCenter for the Study of Blast Injuries, the new center will translate research into direct applications that address the clinical needs of children.
Although informed by working with adults, the center will adopt a new approach geared towards the needs of children, a group of patients with more complex challenges due to their ever-growing and evolving physiology.
Professor Bull said: “The needs of children following a blast injury are very different from those of adults. Their treatment and rehabilitation must take into account their unique physiology and future growth so they can heal and thrive. The new center will bring together the best minds in this field to advance better treatment and care for children victims of blast injuries around the world.”
Researchers at the new center are using motion capture technology to study the movements of prosthesis wearers more closely and see how the prosthesis can be improved. They can then quickly 3D print new prototypes and run detailed tests to see how the prostheses will perform when subjected to the specific forces and stresses they will be subjected to, allowing the new designs to be further refined.
The center also has facilities that simulate the effects of different types of blasts to study the fundamental science behind the effects of blasts on bone growth and soft tissue healing.
imperial doctoral studentEdgar CaitlinHe said: “We are already developing cost-effective, age-appropriate prostheses for children with limb amputations that take into account growth and physiological development in areas of conflict. We will expand our research into the mechanical effects of blasts on bone growth mechanisms and the effects of pain and stress on trauma and healing."
strategic approach
The center will tackle the biggest questions that are not answered elsewhere. It will use Save the Children's seed funding to support new four-year PhD fellowships to understand the biomechanics of child rupture, medical emergencies, rehabilitation, and surgical and rehabilitative technology.
"The new center will bring together the best minds in this field to advance better treatment and care for children victims of blast injuries around the world." said Professor Anthony Bull, Institute of Bioengineering.
As a center of excellence, researchers from all disciplines will come together and use new knowledge to influence policy and improve the lives of children affected by the physical and psychological trauma of conflict.
Imperial's partnership with Save the Children already addresses the challenges faced by clinicians treating children with blast injuries around the world, even in resource-constrained settings.
An example of this is thePediatric blast injury field manual, which helps doctors in crisis areas treat children quickly throughout the care process. Already translated into six languages, theThe manual is usedin twelve conflict zones, including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Speakers at the launch moderated by the Save the Children AmbassadorNatascha Kaplinskyincluding Professor Bull, Gwen Hines, Director ofbad universityCenter for Pain ResearchProfessor Christopher Eccleston, dr Andriy Dvorakevych PhD, Lead Pediatric Surgeon inChildren's Clinical Hospital of the City of Lvivin Ukraine and the Imperial PhD students Caitlin Edgar and Claudia Ghidini.
This article waspublished for the first timeon March 28 from Imperial College London.