People: Tom Schnell, Salam Rahmatalla
Mission: Aerospace Technology, Biotechnology
Centers and Labs: Operator Performance Laboratory, 3D Bio-Motion Research Lab
Faculty from the Iowa Technology Institute were part of a University of Iowa collaboration finding promise in a stroke therapy tied to vibrations of a helicopter ride. The study was examined recently on Iowa Public Radio.
Neurologist Enrique Leira, director of Cerebrovascular Diseases at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, who was the lead author in the study, was interviewed in the segment.
Tom Schnell, director of the Operator Performance Laboratory, piloted the Mi2 helicopter used in the study. Salam Rahmatalla, director of the 3D Bio-Motion Research Lab, was also an author on the study.
Stroke victims, particularly in rural settings, are often transported to medical care by helicopter. Findings from the study showed the low-frequency vibrations a helicopter generates may have positive impacts on stroke treatments, based on preliminary testing in mice.
The study was published in May 2020 in Stroke magazine under the title "Low-Frequency Vibrations Enhance Thrombolytic Therapy and Improve Stroke Outcomes."