Drug Delivery Smart Tourniquet

Triton Systems Inc. (developer of medical devices and engineering systems, and an SBA Tibbetts Award Winner for Success in Commercializing SBIR derived technologies) proposes to design and develop the next generation of tourniquet for warfighters in potential prolonged care (PC), anti-access and area denial scenarios. Our device, the drug delivery tourniquet (DDT) can prevent exsanguination, display tourniquet pressure, and deliver antibiotics to an injury site at the earliest time point after injury. Administration of the DDT can be done by a medic, buddy, or self-administered. The DDT will match the current tourniquet for low weight and size while providing a “fire-and-forget” delivery of antibiotics to the wound site immediately after injury, and prior to surgical intervention. Display of applied tourniquet pressure and antibiotic delivery will be done in simple, easy-to-use, non-powered methods. Together these features make the DDT an easy-to-use, efficient device for stressful situations that will meet the demands of warfighters in PC scenarios. Triton will develop a drug delivery tourniquet containing sufficient antibiotic volume for a bolus injection to reach the injury site during a PC event and reduce wound infection rates (minimum of 72 hours), while maintaining the exsanguination prevention delivered by the current field tourniquet. Phase I efforts will focus on advancing the technology from TRL 2 to TRL 4-5, demonstrating feasibility, generating preliminary antibiotic release data, and identifying an appropriate animal model for phase II efforts. Modeled after tourniquets and wearable injectors that have pre-authorization from the FDA, this field tourniquet can be utilized by a medic, buddy, or be self-administered. A display will identify the pressure at the tourniquet site, and the locking strap will allow for application time to be documented. The documented time will allow personnel to determine the time lapse since the tourniquet was applied and drugs delivered. The device medication will be contained in cylindrical reservoirs that can be easily switched in and out, allowing for the administered drugs to be swapped, should that become necessary (potential allergic reaction, analgesic delivery). When activated, medication will flow through the needle into the patient’s muscle tissue. At completion of drug delivery, a color indicator will notify the user of successful dose delivery. The drug delivery tourniquet will ensure rapid administration of antibiotics to the wound site of combat casualties during the “Golden Hour”, in cases where medical evacuation may not be possible.