2018 A method to control bleeding in physical trauma patients in low resource settings in order to minimize blood loss
Team: Arvind Gouttumukkala, Tanya Kumar, Emma Manzano, Matthew Sie
Client: Joe Forrester, MD; Department of Surgery and Trauma/Critical Care Fellow, Stanford University
Problem: Trauma is ubiquitous to the human experience. Regardless of nationality or socioeconomic status, a critically injured trauma patient is a person left without options, often dependent upon a surgeon for life-saving procedures and care. The experience of being cared for in a time of great vulnerability by another person of a different nationality, or utilizing a trauma system created in conjunction with another nation, can create firm cross-cultural bonds – a powerful diplomatic tool. In trauma treatment, whole blood is the ideal resuscitation project for injured patients. However, blood can be difficult to acquire, store, and administer, particularly in conflict zones.
Need: Our unmet need centers on devising a blood substitute that is storable, transportable, and administrable in low resource settings.