UA, UAMS researchers working to create device that detects blood loss, dehydration
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are teaming up to create a device that can save lives by detecting blood loss and dehydration.
They want this device to be reliable and increase the likelihood of getting a correct diagnosis to a paramedic.
Morten Jensen, associate professor in biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas, is one of the researchers for this project.
There is currently a model of two blood vessels: an artery and a vein.
“The technology will have these very small pressure sensors that are inserted into the blood vessel. And with some technology that we are working on, we will be able to detect how much volume of blood is in the person’s body,” Jensen said.
He says there is a pressure sensor that would go with the device and an even smaller sensor that would go over the actual device.
“It would go into a blood vessel when a paramedic is delivering fluid to that patient,” Jensen said.
He says then the paramedic would use the device to analyze if the patient needs more fluid or if the amount of fluid that the patient has received is sufficient to sustain life.
Jensen was in the Denmark military. He says having this device that’s easy and fast to use is important for both soldiers and paramedics.
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“For example, a soldier on the battlefield has been losing blood, the paramedics arriving would not know how much he or she has lost of blood. And, this device can measure how much blood has been lost,” Jensen said.
He says bleeding, whether it’s internal or external, is dangerous.
“Because the heart does need volume to be able to pump. If it does not have that volume, the person can go into shock,” Jensen said.
According to UA officials, hemorrhagic shock is currently the leading cause of preventable death in casualty care settings.
UA and UAMS received more than $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Defense for the project.
“We’re very excited,” Jensen said.
Robert Saunders is another researcher of the project and the associate department head of student success for the electrical engineering and computer science department at UA. He is also a volunteer first responder with the Madison County Fire Department. He says they have limited resources.
“A device this size that could be used would really help determine who needs the limited amount of resources that we have,” Saunders said.
He says the next step of this project is designing a compact device.
“So that it would easily fit on the arm until the first responder [determines] whether this person is dehydrated and what resources they need,” Saunders said.
Saunders says they hope a functional prototype will be finished in two years.
“Then at that point, it would be trying to get it production ready, so however long it would take to go through FDA certification,” Saunders said.
Jingxian Wu, another researcher and a professor in electrical engineering and computer science at UA, says they have already collected a lot of preliminary results.
“Now it’s just the time to put all our final developed technologies together and put them in a smaller size and improve the reliability and accuracy of the final product,” Wu said.
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