TD2
TRAUMATIC DIRECT TRANSFUSION DEVICE
TRAUMATIC DIRECT TRANSFUSION DEVICE
WHAT IT IS
Traumatic Direct Transfusion Device (TD2) is a direct transfusion device intended for use at a point of injury blood transfusion from a walking blood bank system.
- An autonomous device that frees the medic to perform other life saving interventions while the blood transfusion is occurring.
- Created to allow the transfusion of blood, stop the blood flow, then await the medic’s return
- Transfuses blood in less than ten minutes reducing time to wait evacuating the patient or responding to the tactical situation
- Leaner more compact kit that contains what is needed and is 33% smaller than most current Blood Transfusion Kits
- Reduces the steps involve in the transfusion process, waste from the process, and chances of complications such as citrate toxicity, hypothermia or clotting.
HOW IT WORKS
TD2 is composed of three pieces; end caps, rubber tubing, and blood counter. The end caps are Lauer locks that allow attachment of a hard needle or fit into existing needleless systems. The rubber tubing is a normal saline primed IV tubing four feet long absent of air bubbles. The blood counter is a peristaltic pump and an analog rotational volumetric displacement counter that passively measures the transfusing blood’s flight onto a digital readout screen. The device will measure 450ml before signaling the internal microcontroller to engage the motor, discharging the internal clamping system sealing the tubing to await the medic’s return.
WHAT IT DOES
TD2 in conjunction with a robust walking blood bank protocol increases the likelihood of a field blood transfusion by decreasing setup time and blood transfer from a donor to a recipient.
WHY IT MATTERS
Short-term, this device will modify existing tactical combat casualty care standard operating procedures in blood transfusion practices to promote field blood transfusion at the beginning of tactical field care instead of delaying or prohibiting a field blood transfusion. A rapid transfusion method can change the current trauma priority algorithm MARCH (Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia) into MARTCH (Transfusion). Decreasing barriers to blood transfusion will ensure that field blood transfusion occurs within minutes of a traumatic injury and allow the medic to perform other life-saving interventions while TD2 operates.
The long-term benefit will be to increase traumatically injured service member survival rates by providing a direct blood transfusion device that is reliable and robust enough to be used by medics within minutes of service member injury. The use of this device will impact prolonged field care by improving patient survival rates transfusing blood earlier in field care to ensure a stable patient until evacuation. Among critical casualties, blood transfusion was associated with higher survival rates irrespective of transport time. Faster blood transfusions also create better outcomes for traumatically injured patients, returning them to duty faster than a delayed transfusion. Higher survival rates increase the life of the service member within the force and help to retain personnel.