Battery-Powered, Field System for Visual Extraction of Ceramic Shards from Wounds

Rapidly removing sharp ceramic fragments embedded in the body after a shattering impact on a small arms protection insert (SAPI) is critical to the optimal recovery of wounded personnel. Because tiny SAPI pieces are made of materials that are difficult to visualize, however, they are often overlooked in an initial medical response, leading to dangerous situations where the shards migrate during medical evaluation. Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) proposes an innovative system that integrates fluorescent inorganic nanoparticles into existing SAPI manufacturing; under black light delivered from a battery-powered medical implement, these fragments will luminesce. IOS’s novel system will assist medical personnel in visualizing spall in the initial triage, resulting in more efficient cleaning of the wound. These nanoparticles also contain elements that react strongly to a magnetic field and would have strong signals in subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. With the support of an established SAPI manufacturer, we propose to demonstrate the robustness of these fluorophores to extreme conditions of SAPI production; we plan to show that dopants will not diminish SAPI protection capabilities. We plan to perform a detailed analysis of material integrity, luminescence, and biocompatibility, and provide cost benefits of near-term, mass production.