{"id":19326,"date":"2016-07-04T17:49:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T09:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-funded-uw-researchers-develop-kidney-stone-zapping-technology\/"},"modified":"2016-07-04T17:49:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-04T09:49:17","slug":"nasa-funded-uw-researchers-develop-kidney-stone-zapping-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-funded-uw-researchers-develop-kidney-stone-zapping-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA-funded UW researchers develop kidney-stone zapping technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Michael
Michael Bailey, the principal investigator of the research team, with the ultrasound system that will be sent to the International Space Station. Bailey\u2019s team is incorporating technology that breaks up kidney stones into the machine. (Photo from HSNewsBeat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imagine you are an astronaut, chosen for the first manned mission to Mars. After years of preparation, dozens of health checks, and months of space travel, you are ready to set foot on the Red Planet\u2014and you develop a kidney stone.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Washington\u2019s Applied Physics Lab are working to solve this nightmare scenario.<\/p>\n

\"Researchers
Researchers use bursts of ultrasound to pulverize imitation kidney stones. (Photo from HSNewsBeat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With help from a grant from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (a NASA-funded group), the team is developing a handheld ultrasound device that can detect and pulverize kidney stones\u2014without surgery or bulky equipment.<\/p>\n

The \u201cStar Trek\u201d-like tech uses focused ultrasound waves to detect and move the stones, then breaks them apart with short bursts of energy, making them easier for the astronaut to pass. This tech could have many applications for a long-term space mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally it was that someone might have a blunt trauma, and we can focus ultrasound and stop bleeding,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cThen we realized that kidney stones were a big risk because bones are demineralizing and that will increase the likelihood of stones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data from NASA indicates astronauts are more susceptible to developing kidney stones, and there has already been one case of an astronaut developing a stone on the International Space Station (ISS). Complications from kidney stones are severe enough that an astronaut would need to return to Earth for medical treatment if they weren\u2019t able to pass one naturally.<\/p>\n

\"Ultrasound
Ultrasound tech developed by Bailey\u2019s team will be on the next ultrasound device to be sent to the International Space Station. Photo by Andrey Armyagov, via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOn a Mars mission, there\u2019s no option to send someone back,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n

The team has already developed the ability detect and move stones, and will be incorporating this technology in the next ultrasound system sent to the ISS.<\/p>\n

They are currently working on the third step of the process\u2014breaking apart the stones inside a patient.<\/p>\n

In a hospital, stones are broken up by a process called Shock Wave Lithotripsy, where a refrigerator-sized machine breaks stones up using large jolts of ultrasound.<\/p>\n

But the process uses X-rays to detect the stones, and requires several hundred pounds of equipment, making it unusable for space travel.<\/p>\n

Adam Maxwell, an assistant professor of Urology at UW, has adapted this tech to create Burst Wave Lithotripsy (BWL), which breaks the stones apart with smaller, more frequent bursts of ultrasound.<\/p>\n

<\/span> On a Mars mission, there\u2019s no option to send someone back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anne Zwaschka, a student working with the team, explained that the traditional technique is like hitting a stone with a hammer\u2014but BWL is like chiseling away at it over and over. Because BWL takes less energy, the machine is much lighter and compact. It may also be more effective than previous techniques.<\/p>\n

For more on how Burst Wave Lithotripsy works, check out this video from the UW\u2019s Applied Physics Laboratory.<\/p>\n