UT System partners with Army to modernize trauma care for soldiers, civilians

AUSTIN, Texas (Nexstar) — Creating better trauma care for soldiers on the front line is something that was top of mind on Tuesday, as University of Texas campuses across the state now have a new partnership with the Army.

When a soldier is down, just a few seconds can make the difference between life or death.

"One of the major risks in any combat situation is wounds that generate large amounts of bleeding or hemorrhage," Mark Stackle, commander of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research said.

"We have an extensive trauma system here in the state of Texas, about half of those level one trauma systems are in partnership with the University of Texas System," Lakey said.

Every day, trauma centers in Texas treat patients critically injured in things like shootings or car accidents.
This research partnership will make sharing lab resources easier, to find ways to improve trauma care and the chance of survival.

"What we hope to do with this partnership, is help make sure...that more people have an opportunity to come home to their loved ones than if we hadn't had a chance to do that research," Stackle said.

There are six focus areas UT and the Army have in this new agreement. Within the next year or so, they're hoping to come up with tangible proposals on changes they want to make to advance trauma care.

Both entities signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement and an Educational Partnership Agreement solidifying their collective efforts.