Many military and Law Enforcement organizations are issuing the Combat Application Tourniquet. Unfortunately, a replica product built in Hong Kong by Element Airsoft and made to resemble the CAT has been showing up in medical equipment sets. Organizations and individuals may see a lower price and think they are getting a good deal but according the briefing below, the E-CAT does not perform to the same standard as the CAT Gen III.

Combat Application Tourniquet (GEN III vs E-CAT)

We have seen this time and time again and the issue is not limited to just medical equipment. Most companies catering to the mil sim or airsoft markets manufacture to a lower standard than US Mil Spec and use lower quality materials, not to mention that they are not Berry Compliant. When a purchaser chooses to save a few bucks, he also cuts corners that can cost lives. It is imperative that the purchaser realistically assesses his needs and purchases the right product for the right application. Remember, buy quality, cry once.

For information on the military issue CAT visit www.combattourniquet.com.

Applying negative pressure or suction to a wound promotes healing by keeping fluid from building up in the wound. A few years ago students in an MIT mechanical engineering class decided to work on a pump to provide suction for wounds. With the help of Dr. Robert Sheridan from Massachusetts General Hospital, the students developed a simple, inexpensive, and lightweight version of the system that required no power supply and could be left in place for days. Danielle Zurovcik SM ’07, was one of those students and not only continued to refine the technology in her master’s thesis but plans make it the subject of her doctoral studies as well.

The pump now has some real world experience thanks to Zurovcik providing 50 of the $3 pumps to Partners in Health for use in the Haitian relief effort. The Partners in Health team was led by led by Dr. Robert Riviello of the Division of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Our biggest challenge at the moment is ensuring a reliably intact seal on human skin [that can be] easily applied,” Riviello says. “If we can resolve this, then I think there is enormous potential.” There is a new, more compact version of the device in production and Zurovcik plans on further studies in Rwanda later this year.

While the technology is available today in any western care facility, it is expensive, relying on shore power or frequent battery changes. This pump is power-free. It’s one step up from ditch medicine and that’s simply because it’s a purpose built solution, but it remains inexpensive and easy to apply. The new MIT pump offers many advantages for military or wilderness use. With suction applied, dressing can be kept in place longer; in some cases up to three days. This is a boon for situations where supplies or health care professionals are limited.

In order to help Soldiers survive the “Golden Hour”, that deadline so crucial to the survival of trauma victims, researchers are working on a medicine that will keep certain body functions working. In a recent article in “New Scientist“, Hasan Alam of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston was quoted as saying, “You can’t carry a blood bank into the battlefield. What we’re looking for is a pill or a shot that would keep a person alive for long enough to get to them to a hospital.”

The body defends itself from blood loss by going into shock. Prolonged shock can lead to death. According to the article, “Around 6 or 7 per cent of genes change their expression in response to shock, via the removal of “epigenetic”, chemical additions to the genome called acetylations. As histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors can prevent the removal of such acetylations, Alam wondered if these drugs might improve survival after blood loss.”

Based on his hunch, his team took valproic acid, an HDAC inhibitor already used to treat epilepsy, and repeated testing already conducted on rats but this time on swine. His testing showed that pigs that received the valproic acid had an 86% survival rate despite losing 60% of their blood as well as other injuries. He is repeating his trial in order to ensure the valproic acid does not inhibit further healing. If the testing proves successful Alam will seek permission for human trials.