The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $1.9 million to a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Arkansas and UAMS to develop a wearable device that will help with the early detection and monitoring of internal and external bleeding.
The researchers are designing a mobile device that can detect blood pressure waveforms, which correlate with intravascular volume, or the volume of blood within the blood vessels, UAMS said in a news release. That information can be used to determine if blood volume is falling due to hemorrhaging, giving first responders and hospital staff more accurate and timely readings to provide care.
Hemorrhagic shock is currently the leading cause of preventable death in casualty care settings, UAMS said in a news release. Existing methods often fail to detect blood loss until the onset of shock, which can be too late for some patients.
Researchers have three goals aimed at creating a device that meets design parameters and performs accurately and reliably in real-world scenarios:
- Develop machine learning models and algorithms to analyze the pressure signals for blood loss detection
- Prototype and develop a cost-effective wearable device for detecting blood loss
- Test the device through clinical trials in a wearable configuration
Ultimately, the team’s goal is to develop a device that is less than 1 square inch and sells for under $100. It would have a catheter that connects to a vein as well as a port that an IV bag could be connected to.
The principal investigator on the four-year award is Dr. Morten Jensen, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the UA. Jensen also has a background in electrical and computer engineering and has worked in industry with sensor and signal analysis technologies.
Jensen will be joined by UA professor of electrical engineering Jingxian Wu and Robert Saunders, an associate department head of electrical engineering and computer science and a first responder with Madison County’s volunteer fire department.
Dr. Hanna Jensen, an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery and course director of the school’s cardiovascular module, will oversee the translational and clinical phases of the project.
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