Hemorrhage Control for Non-Compressible Extremity Injuries

It is estimated that 10% of the soldiers killed on the battlefield bleed to death from extremity wounds. Failure to rapidly control hemorrhage leads to inadequate organ perfusion (shock) and death. Many of these lives can be saved by the prompt and effective use of a tourniquet. However, a subset of extremity injuries occur at a level that is not amenable to tourniquet application, and vascular injuries in the region of the groin continue to be largely untreatable on the battlefield. This project addresses this need by offering a new, synergistic based approach to the immediate treatment of severe arterial injuries, including the fully transected, retracted femoral artery. EAI's plan is to develop a small, hand-held device that uses acoustic means to control hemorrhage flow from severe vascular injuries, and apply hemostatic drug agents and/or High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) to achieve hemostasis. The device will be compact and suitable for use by combat medics on the front lines.