“Army medical researchers have developed a device that will revolutionize triage,” said Lt. Col. Robert Carter Task Area Manager for Tactical Combat Casualty Care Research at the Army Institute of Surgical Research www.usair.amedd.army.mil Joint Base in San Antonio.
The Army is hopeful that the device could lower casualties in the first few minutes dramatically. As it is now, when there are multiple casualties on the battlefield, the medic may have a difficult time determining which soldier needs to be treated first.
The Compensatory Reserve Index referred to as the CRI device is about the size of a small matchbox with a computer display. A wire connects it to a plastic clip that is placed on an injured soldier’s finger. Once it is attached to the soldier’s finger, the device display the soldier’s vital signs, body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
As Lt. Col. Carter reports, “If someone is bleeding profusely they may very well need to receive care first, but if someone else suffering from internal injuries caused by a blast may have more severe injuries. However, the extent of those injuries would likely go unnoticed until the vital signs were taken”. With the CRI, the medic can quickly snap the device on to everyone who is down and at that point, the vital signs would be immediately displayed.
In addition to the CRI, the medic has a smart tablet that can display multiple vital signs of multiple casualties all on one screen which makes it easier to keep track and prioritize the injuries according to severity.
One important aspect of the CRI is the machine-learning algorithm embedded in the chip that drives the chip’s intelligence. According to Lt. Col. Carter, “The algorithm extracts the patient’s vital signs using a material waveform-based photoplethysmography which is the medical way of saying that the chip uses a non-invasive optical method for detecting blood volume changes in the microvascular tissue. If the CRI indicates very poor vital signs, the medic would then provide blood or resuscitative fluids to the patient immediately.”
Currently, CRI is being tested by FDA for certification. Next, the Army will determine whether or not to field it. Meanwhile multiple civilian trauma care centers and clinics are testing and using the device since the Army is sharing the technology.