XBradTC

War? What is it good for?

One of the few good things that comes from war is advanced in technology and techniques for treating trauma.

For instance, you and I grew up being taught that using a tourniquet was a last resort for treating bleeding from an extremity. But during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, losses from exsanguination made the services realize that applying a tourniquet immediately was in fact the best method of treating bleeding. And so every soldier now carries as least one tourniquet.

But often pelvic injuries and other wounds cannot be treated by a traditional tourniquet. Enter the SAM junctional tourniqet.

The result is the SAM Junctional Tourniquet, which weighs just over a pound and can be deployed in under 25 seconds, a critical benefit where medics only have about 90 seconds to save their patient’s life. Its simple, belt-like appearance belies important innovations.

IED explosions frequently lead to pelvic fractures and high leg amputations, which current tourniquet technology is not equipped to treat. Ziba’s design is the first field dressing that can be used at the waist. Pneumatic air bladders are hidden under the ballistic nylon surface and are inflated to staunch bleeding, but a clever shut-off valve prevents over-eager medics from over-inflating the device and further injuring their comrades.

We can expect to see the advances in military trauma treatment showing up in civilian protocols. First aid treatment for trauma is all about extending the “golden hour” and keeping the wounded alive long enough to reach an operating room. And this will be an important tool for just that.