Loughborough student designs life-saving device to control stab wound bleeding
The device inflates inside the wound
A Loughborough Uni student has designed a device which could help first responders control the bleeding from a stab wound.
In the year ending March 2019, 259 people were killed in the UK using a sharp instrument, including knives and broken bottles.
A victim of stabbing can bleed to death in just five minutes so the priority for first responders is to control bleeding from the wound.
Joseph Bentley, a final year Product Design and Technology student, has designed REACT which stands for "Rapid emergency actuated tamponade".
The device is a new method for rapidly stopping catastrophic blood loss from a knife wound that can be carried out by first responding police officers while waiting for the ambulance.
REACT is comprised of two parts: a medical-grade silicone sleeve, known as a ‘tamponade’, and a handheld device called an ‘actuator’.
Responders can use the REACT device to apply internal pressure to the wound by inflating the tamponade into the wound.
The prototype is currently targeted at junctional wounds (such as those in the armpit and groin areas) and the abdomen – a location paramedics and emergency first aid professionals told Joseph is hard to treat during his project research.
When asked why he wanted to create a device focused on saving stab victims, Joseph explained that knife crime has impacted people he knows personally.
“I know several friends who have been the unfortunate victims of knife crime, thankfully none of the incidents were fatal”, Joseph explained.
“I am haunted almost daily by news of someone who has lost their lives because of knife crime; there were five murders in three days this spring bank holiday. It’s horrifying.”
He continued: “The simple application and automated inflation procedure of the REACT system makes it a game-changer for first responders.
“The tamponade can be in place and stopping a haemorrhage in under a minute, saving hundreds of lives a year, and as the tamponade is suitable for large cavities like the abdomen, it is also easier and faster to remove than current methods used to stop bleeding, giving the patient the best chance in reconstructive surgery.”