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Combat Medicine

When lives are on the line: Combat medicine and how it can be improved

When lives are on the line: Combat medicine and how it can be improved

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rose Gudex

Throughout history, combat has been a brutal and destructive experience that leaves visible and invisible wounds on anyone who engages in the fighting. Although modern technology has done marvels in making warfare more “humane,” war-fighters are still facing catastrophic injuries in their muscles, bones, skin, and nerves if they are wounded. For those fortunate enough to survive a combat wound, the recovery process is often a long and painful experience despite advancements in modern medicine. At times of heightened operational tempo, that long recovery process, which can take from a couple of months to years, starves frontline units from essential resources—as that’s what war-fighters are, ultimately.

To address this, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is planning to utilize and integrate the latest advances in actuators, biosensors, and artificial intelligence to improve the regeneration of damaged tissue and exponentially speed up the recovery process of a wounded warrior. More specifically, the Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration (BETR), one of DARPA’s newest projects, is looking for scientists who can develop a bioelectronic system that could, in real time, assess and track the development of a wound in order to allow for more effective treatment.

According to Dr. Paul Sheehan, the BETR program manager, the technology wouldn’t be limited to individual medicine, but would offer “dynamic, adaptive, and precise human therapies” that would constantly adapt to a wound, thereby helping wounded warriors recover more quickly.

“Wounds are living environments and the conditions change quickly as cells and tissues communicate and attempt to repair,” said Dr. Sheehan. “An ideal treatment would sense, process, and respond to these changes in the wound state and intervene to correct and speed recovery. For example, we anticipate interventions that modulate immune response, recruit necessary cell types to the wound, or direct how stem cells differentiate to expedite healing.”

Most current wound treatments are focused on passive rather than active treatment. For instance, medical professionals either designate a timeframe for the body to heal itself or intervene and treat around the wound to facilitate recovery. The usage of casts on broken bones or implanting new tissue around destroyed tissue are good examples of this approach.

According to Dr. Sheehan and his team, while these passive approaches are reasonably effective, they take too long. “To understand the importance of adaptive treatments that respond to the wound state, consider the case of antibiotic ointments,” said Dr. Sheehan. “People use antibiotics to treat simple cuts, and they help if the wound is infected. However, completely wiping out the natural microbiota can impair healing. Thus, without feedback, antibiotics can become counterproductive.”

The BETR project plans to change that. The project, which is scheduled to last four years, aims at creating active treatments that would circumvent the current limitations in combat medicine.


Originally published on NEWSREP

AlphaPointe Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT)

AlphaPointe Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT)

When it comes to personal preparedness in today’s world, one of the most highly recommended items that a person should carry is a tourniquet (TQ). Originally designed for use and application in the combat environment, the TQ has evolved to become easily accessible and usable by the average layperson in any situation.

One company that has thought outside the box when it comes to the TQ, is AlphaPointe Tactical, the manufacturer of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT). The TMT was designed with ease of application and reliability in mind during what could potentially be your most stressful and mentally challenging situation.

The TMT was designed for “true one-handed application” unlike many of the tourniquets on the market today, and it fits into the current field TQ carrier, eliminating the need to purchase extra accessories to place into service.

AlphaPointe’s TMT is so effective, that during a comparison study on seven different extremity TQ’s by the Naval Medical Research Unit, the TMT was one of the only TQ’s to have little-to-no blood loss after five minutes of application; and this was done at a lower pressure than others! Even the popular and highly recognized CAT tourniquet (Combat Application Tourniquet) was shown to have 100mL of blood loss after the same period of time!

Below are some of the features of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT):

  • True one-handed application for upper & lower extremities
  • Co-poly resin acetyl with IR/UV protection
  • Weighs 2.9 oz
  • TMT’s signature “Audible Click” when securing the torsion bar
  • Wider band ( 2”) for occlusion at lower pressure (less force and turns of the torsion bar)
  • Easy to separate for two-handed application, with no “tail” to thread through a buckle under stress.
  • Dual locking mechanism to prevent slippage or inadvertent release

Author – Tony Kuhn, full-time firefighter/paramedic.

MyMedic Shield: Trauma Kit For the Range or the Apocalypse

Where is your IFAK?

So where is yours? ” Right here and always ready” is the only right answer here. I’ve seen a trend in the last few years of people actually using an Individual First Aid Kit more as a fashion accessory rather than a means of saving theirs or someone else’s life.

Time and time again I see people in class arriving with huge pouches or backpacks, bearing fancy patches indicating the supposed medical application of the contents, only to discover they are used as lunch boxes at most. A person spends $2000 on a gun, $2000 on fancy gear, uniforms and whatnot, but bleeds out to death when hit by a ricochet because he couldn’t find $5 for an Emergency bandage or $12 for a tourniquet. Oh the irony…

Well I don’t handle guns that much, do I still need to carry this with me?

This does not only apply to those who use firearms. A handy, compact and well thought through IFAK should be at your disposal always. How much do you actually value your life? Worldwide more people die each year in car and household accidents than firearms related violence. Airsoft players tell me they don’t see a reason for that excessive weight because there is no chance of sustaining a “military type wound” in what they are doing. Six years ago a friend of mine fell 4 stories down an unsecured lift-shaft while playing Airsoft. He sustained compound fractures of both legs, open arm fracture, 3 broken ribs, and a punctured lung causing a life threatening tension pneumothorax. Luckily for him, he had his IFAK on him.

I always have my IFAK with me. I’ve been carrying the same one for 10 years! Old Faithful. 

Medical science is one of the fastest developing discourses in the world. This “Old Faithful” group carrying old gauze and bandages certainly deserves some credit since any gauze is better than no gauze; but it’s important we keep up with the science of emergency medicine when peoples lives will be on the line. So if out of sentiment to old faithful, or any other reason for that matter, you’re still carrying items that would better fit in a museum than in an emergency situation it’s time to refresh.

I’m not trained to use this, so why should I have it?

Well answer number one, GET TRAINED! Attending TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) or basic First Aid courses should be one of your highest priorities. These will help you gain the skills necessary to help yourself and others if need be. Learning casualty care is no easy endeavor and it does take a few years of hard work to become a medic. However, as a first responder your job will be to sustain life until proper medical care can be administered, and with even basic training you will have a good chance of success. As with anything, the more you learn and practice the better.

If you currently lack training, you should still consider carrying the tools and medical supplies that might save your life. Remember that primarily your IFAK is designated to be used not necessarily by you, but on you. Luckily there is a number of well-trained individuals out there and if they find you unconscious or wounded, it is your IFAK that can give them the tools they need to save your life.

You can get your own MyMedic Shield HERE for $199.95

 

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