A Point-of-Care Device for Diagnosis of Platelet Injury in Trauma Patients

HemoSonics LLC is developing an easy to use and easy to interpret diagnostic device to rapidly identify diffuse coagulopathies in order to guide proper and evidence-based interventions. The management of diffuse coagulopathies is extremely important in military medicine as these conditions represent a significant source of combat morbidity and mortality. HemoSonics device is based on sonorheometry, an ultrasound-based technology that can measure dynamic changes in clot stiffness during the process of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Sonorheometry does not require moving mechanical parts and utilizes a self-contained consumable cartridge with embedded lyophilized reagents. This technology has significant advantages over competing viscoelastometric devices such as TEG and ROTEM; sonorheometry is faster and more sensitive than TEG and ROTEM, it is ease to operate and to interpret, and it is robust to environmental vibrations. The overall goal of this proposal is to finalize the development of sonorheometry into a portable instrument that can be used in the expeditionary medicine environment. Based on the success of Phase I activities, the focus in this Phase II application will be to develop and validate an integrated prototype that is capable of performing automated SR measurements and assess its clinical utility in trauma.