The Eliason Laboratory, led by Dr. Jonathan L. Eliason, pursues two key focal areas: uncontrolled hemorrhage in trauma, including the development of medical devices for hemorrhage-control, and understanding how abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) form. Our work on controlling hemorrhage due to trauma, particularly in austere environments, grew out of Dr. Eliason's experience in the U.S. Air Force, seeing firsthand just how critical hemorrhage control is to the early survival of injured military personnel and civilians. We have since developed a novel device to control bleeding and hemorrhagic shock. Our scientific work also looks at many parameters of bleeding to identify risk factors and how to diminish them.
Our work to understand why and how AAAs form looks at the role of smoking, both of cigarettes and e-cigarettes or vaping. We know that the process of aneurysm formation is complex, with many contributing factors. Smoking is involved in about 80% of cases of AAA. Our lab has looked at tobacco and cigarette smoke extract as well as e-cigarette vapor, trying to learn precisely how they impact the aorta and promote aortic injury. The overarching goal of our work is to improve our understanding and treatment of vascular trauma and abdominal aortic aneurysm to improve survival and quality of life.