INTRAVENOUS INFUSION DEVICE WHICH CAN DELIVER AMOUNTS OF FLUID AT A REQUIRED RATE WITHOUT SUPERVISION FOR USE AT THE FRONT LINE AND DURING TRANSPORT OF THE WOUNDED.

INTRAVENOUS INFUSION DEVICE WHICH CAN DELIVER AMOUNTS OF FLUID AT A REQUIRED RATE WITHOUT SUPERVISION FOR USE AT THE FRONT LINE AND DURING TRANSPORT OF THE WOUNDED. SUCH A DEVICE SHOULD BE CONPACT, RUGGED, EASILY APPLIED,AND EASILY STORABLE FOR INDEFINATE TIME. AN APPROACH WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SATISFYING THESE REQUIREMENTS UTILIZES A CONSTANT HIGH PRESSURE AND IV FLUID FLOW THROUGH A CAPILLARY. PRESSURE VARIATIONS DUE TO POSITIONAL CHANGES AND OTHER INCIDENTAL EFFECTS ARE SMALL COMPARED TO THE LARGE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE ACROSS THE CAPILLARY, AND THEREFORE CAUSE NEGLIGIBLE FLOW RATE CHANGES. IN THE PHASE I STUDY, THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS APPROACH WILL BE ASSESSED BY INVESTIGATING THE FLOW RATE VARIATIONS DUE TO EXPECTED HEAD CHANGES, TEMPERATURE EFFECTS, AND FLUCTUATIONS OF THE REGULATED PRESSURE. PRACTICAL FEATURES, SUCH AS SIZE, SHAPE,WEIGHT, RUGGEDNESS AVOIDANCE OF BUBBLES,EASE OF APPLICATION, AND EASE OF STORAGE WILL A ALSO BE CONSIDERED IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY. IT IS EXPECTED THAT FEASIBILITY OF THE DEVICE WILL BE SHOWN. THE PHASE I STUDY WILL ALSO PROVIDE DESIGN THEORY AND GUIDANCE REQUIRED IN THE PHASE IT WORK.