The U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity (USAMTEAC) in collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA recently tested several medical devices.
The devices were tested employing the latest in smartphone technology at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis. By using mobile device applications and technology, the USAMTEAC team tested a Heat Strain Decision Aid (HSDA), along with Mental Acuity and four different Ultrasound Field Portable (USFP) devices.
The HSDA is an operational planning mobile application designed to be readily installed and accessed on any handheld mobile device. The device enables unit commanders to perform real time risk assessments for heat injuries based on environmental factors, activity levels, and individual clothing factors, based on algorithms derived from Technical Bulletin 507.
The HSDA incorporates an output display that provides operational planners with estimates of the warfighter’s core temperature and then calculates recommended safe work times, water requirements, and risk of heat casualties. The application calculates probabilities of heat injury and illness for training and deployed operations and is geared for infantry units and mission planners.
Another device being tested is the Ultrasound Field Portable (USFP) a rapid, non-invasive, diagnostic imaging device to visualize or rule out injuries such as internal bleeding, collapsed lung, or musculoskeletal injuries. This device will enable diagnostic imaging to improve the care that a provider is able to provide when faced with life-threatening injuries and prioritize emergence evacuations as well as diagnose lesser injuries so that treatment can be provided in place.
Four different USFP devices were tested. Test players with various specialty backgrounds performed focused assessments on high fidelity platforms with live volunteer participants. A tablet and a cell phone were used to view the ultrasound images.
“This USFP is pretty impressive and the easiest to use. This is important since portability is paramount,”, said Lt. Col. Brett Gendron, a 65D Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant at the Brooke Army Medical Center.
Go to https://jbsa.mil/News/Publications for the JBSA Legacy Newsletter published at Joint Base San Antonio for the article titled Army Medicine Tests new Smartphone and Tablet Apps at JBSA-Camp Bullis by Jose E. Rodrigues.