SBIR-STTR Award

Hypothermia is a common threat to injured soldiers in the battlefield. Environmental exposure and hemorrhage are the primary culprits in the development of hypothermia. Normal battlefield clothing is inadequate to maintain normothermia, especially in the setting of trauma. This research project aims to develop portable devices that can effectively prevent hypothermia and maintain normothermia in trauma patients. The proposed solution consists of two different devices that can be used independently or collaboratively to deliver heat to the patient's core in a long lasting and controlled manner. These devices are designed to provide caregivers maximum access to the patient. A noninvasive core temperature monitoring device will also be developed as a complementary accessory. Both electrical and chemical based heat generation and delivery systems are to be investigated and prototyped. The Department of Emergency Medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center (letter of intent attached) will team up with Foster-Miller to develop clinical procedures and treatment guidelines. (P-040313)

Environmental exposure and hemorrhage are the primary contributing factors to the onset of hypothermia in soldiers injured on the battlefield. While several strategies including wool blankets, electric blankets, and forced air coverlets are currently available for use in casualty patient care, none of these provides the combination of efficiency and amenability to field deployment required to meet the current needs of the US Navy. In this Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, Infoscitex Corporation (IST) and George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC) propose the development of a novel Casualty Patient Warming Device (CPWD) that will address all the deficiencies of current technologies and provide the US Navy and other branches of the Department of Defense with a high efficiency, safe, low cost, rugged, versatile, and field-deployable method for preventing the onset of hypothermia in casualty patients. The Phase II effort will focus on prototype fabrication, design down-selection, and the first level of clinical trials to establish efficacy.

Keywords:
Hemorrhage, Hypothermia, Hypothermia Prevention, Patient Warming, Military Medical Technology, Casua