Integrating Microgravity Medical Suction and Microgravity Surgical Facility

Human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond will require a wealth of health care-related technologies, potentially including those to aid surgery in the uniquely challenging environment of space. Researchers at Purdue University, in collaboration with the University of Louisville and Orbital Medicine, Inc., are advancing methods for Integrating Microgravity Medical Suction and a Microgravity Surgical Facility. The work combines previously flown hardware—an aqueous immersion surgical system and medical suction device—along with a new component to deliver a combined system prototype for suborbital testing. 

Problem Statement Durational human spaceflight carries with it the risk of medical emergencies. Unfortunately, terrestrial surgical systems will not work inspace in the same way they do here on Earth—a fact requiring new space-based innovations to address potentially life-threatening emergencies in zero gravity. In particular, treatment of the pneumothorax and hemothorax may be of particular importance. Surgery in space will require advanced control of liquids (blood and other fluids) as well as separation of blood and air. 

Technology Maturation Various components included in this work are currently at TRL 4, 5, or 6; the combined system is currently at TRL 4. Successful parabolic flight testing should advance the TRL of the combined system to 6. Follow-on longer duration testing in zero gravitymay be needed. This work is a continuation of previous flight testing under T0049, T0155, andT0162.

Summary of Flight Test
2021-12-07 This first test of the integration of Orbital Medicine’s and Purdue’s passive capillary zero-gravity-blood-air separator and University of Louisville’s proven zero-gravity surgical glovebox and fluid management at the wound has been successful. Two types of wound bleeding were created in simulated wounds and the human-operated surgical tools delivered proper containment of liquids in weightlessness while enabling the surgeon to properly manipulate a variety of tools to test suction capability while in weightlessness. 
2022-11-15 This testing in weightlessness furthered our design of zero-gravity surgical tools, facilities, and supporting equipment for future long-duration spaceflight far from Earth. Maintaining control of the blood and serum in weightlessness, aiding the patient, and separating the recovered blood and air, both vital resources in a spacecraft, are all steps towards a complete system. In addition to the actual hand-operated surgical procedures on model wounds, a separate experiment tested the performance of the actual physics for the blood-air separation for a wide range of blood and air mixtures and success was found at all mixture ratios.

Human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond will require a wealth of health care-related technologies, potentially including those to aid surgery in the uniquely challenging environment of space. Researchers at Purdue University, in collaboration with the University of Louisville and Orbital Medicine, Inc., are advancing methods for Integrating Microgravity Medical Suction and a Microgravity Surgical Facility. The work combines previously flown hardware—an aqueous immersion surgical system and medical suction device—along with a new component to deliver a combined system prototype for suborbital testing. This would benefit NASA missions, the commercial space industry, other government agencies, and the nation.

Future Customers
•Crewed NASA space exploration missions
•Crewed commercial space exploration mission

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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