VA Research Wrap Up: New findings on prostheses, toxic exposure and serious mental illness

VA’s Office of Research and Development recently published three News Briefs highlighting research advances on osseointegrated prostheses, the effects of toxic exposure on mental health and a program to help Veterans with serious mental illness.

Bone-anchored prostheses improve gait, may reduce pain

VA Eastern Colorado collaborated with University of Colorado Anschutz researchers to find bone-anchored limb implantations (BAL), also known as osseointegration, for above-the-knee amputations improves patients’ walking stride and potentially reduces long-term pain.

BAL eliminates the need for a socket-type interface by creating a direct connection between the residual femur and the prosthesis. The researchers analyzed the hip swing mechanics of 20 individuals who had a traumatic, congenital or cancer-related amputation and had a history of severe socket-type prosthesis-use problems. One year after BAL implantation, the participants showed improvement in their hip movements compared to prior socket-type prosthesis use, resulting in improved gait and more similarities between the motions of each leg. The results suggest bone-anchored prostheses could improve walking posture control and reduce pain caused by an uneven stride. View the full study from the “Journal of Biomechanics.”

Toxic exposures linked to mental health conditions

Researchers from the VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center learned that Gulf War Veterans who reported military toxic exposures are at higher risk of suicidal thoughts and other mental health conditions. The researchers surveyed almost 1,200 Gulf War-era Veterans, about 70% of whom reported exposure to toxins such as pesticides, smoke from burning oil fields, and nerve gas.

What hey discovered is that Veterans with any toxic exposure had 50% higher odds of suicidal ideation. Veterans with a higher total number of self-reported exposures had 83% higher odds of probable PTSD, 28% higher odds of probable depression, and 22% higher odds of alcohol use disorder, even after taking other risk factors into account.

While military toxic exposures have been linked to poorer physical health, this is the one of the first studies to identify a link between exposures and mental health. The results highlight a need to consider toxic exposures when assessing Gulf War Veterans for mental health conditions, and vice versa. View the full study from the “Journal of Psychiatric Research.”

Weekly phone calls can help Veterans with mental illness

Veterans with serious mental illness reported weekly check-in calls with health care staff increased their feelings of social connection, motivation and encouraged personal reflection of symptoms and behavior changes, according to a Greater Los Angeles VA study.

For three months on average, researchers tested the acceptability and impact of weekly outreach phone calls for 20 Veterans with serious mental illness. The phone calls, which lasted from 15 to 30 minutes, were scheduled at a time convenient for the Veterans. Overall, participants found the calls provided a sense of social connection and additional support in between provider appointments. Providers found the call duration convenient for scheduling, allowing time for meaningful connections. The findings suggest this form of outreach may be valuable to better monitor fluctuations in mental health symptoms and act as a bridge to care in between visits. View the full study from “Human Factors in Healthcare.”

For more Office of Research and Development updates, visit ORD online or go to https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/.