Current research of faculty members in the Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery focuses on genetics, prevention of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and curriculum improvement in surgical education.
Bradley D. Freeman, M.D., is the principal investigator of a multicenter effort examining ethical aspects surrounding the conduct of clinical investigation in critically ill patients. In addition, he has a longstanding interest in the role of tracheostomy in patients with acute respiratory failure and is currently organizing a multicenter pilot study that seeks to assess the feasibility of a standardized approach to tracheostomy decision-making and to assess the effects of this intervention on patient-centric outcomes.
John Mazuski, M.D., Ph.D., is the local site investigator for an NIH-sponsored multicenter trial being carried out by the Surgical Infection Society on the optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy for intra-abdominal infections. He is also the principal investigator for studies evaluating a new antimicrobial for treatment of patients with intra-abdominal infections and a new biological response modifier for treatment of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections. He is investigating infectious outcomes following implementation of a standard protocol for prophylactic antibiotic administration to trauma patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy.
Douglas J.E. Schuerer, M.D., has led the study and development of strategies for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism in severe injuries. This effort, described in a recent report in the Journal of Trauma, has become the model for the hospital-wide DVT prevention effort. Schuerer currently studies error-reporting systems and has recently described a novel trauma rehabilitation outcome scoring system.