Use of a Shock Tube Platform in the Replication of Blast Lung Injury

¹ Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
² Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
³ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK
⁴ Institute of Shock Physics, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
⁵ Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

^* Corresponding author: kb518@cam.ac.uk

Published online: 9 September 2021

Abstract

War and asymmetrical conflicts are becoming increasingly prevalent in the modern world. Due to improvements in conflict medicine, survivable injuries are now more severe than they once were. Therefore, it is now more important than ever that there exist scientific and engineering methods for replicating wartime injuries in the context of the laboratory. We have developed one such method: a shock tube platform for testing ex vivo samples of the porcine respiratory system. Using this platform, we can, to some extent, simulate the pathophysiological consequences of blast lung. This is a condition commonly present in victims of explosive blasts, both those due to typical armaments and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Presented here are the results of experiments conducted using porcine bronchiole tissue as ex vivo organ cultures. Data presented show epithelial damage, consistent with known trauma-induced cell injury that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).