ARKANSAS, USA — More than $1.9 million has been awarded to a team of researchers with the University of Arkansas (UofA) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to create a wearable device to detect and monitor bleeding inside and outside the body during an emergency.
The money, coming from the Department of Defense (DOD) will be used to fund the project, which hopes to create a "mobile device that can detect blood pressure waveforms" in order to spot blood pressure abnormalities and hemorrhaging.
According to the U of A, hemorrhagic shock is the "leading cause of preventable death" in an emergency. "Existing methods often fail to detect blood loss until the onset of shock," said UAMS officials.
The project will reportedly be broken into three goals:
- Develop machine learning models to analyze signals of blood loss
- Prototype a "cost-effective wearable device" that can detect those signals
- Test the device through clinical trials
The researchers said the end goal is to create a square device about the size of a bottlecap that can connect to a vein and IV bag while monitoring blood pressure— all for less than $100 each.
The project is being overseen by multiple researchers:
- U of A Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Morten Jensen
- U of A Professor of Electrical Engineering Jingxian Wu
- U of A Associate Department Head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Robert Saunders
- UAMS Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and Cardiovascular Module Course Director Hanna Jensen
Morten Jensen, who served in the Danish military, said he "knows first-hand the importance of reliable equipment that works fast and is lightweight."
Saunders, being a volunteer first responder in Madison County himself, believes the device would be extremely useful in emergencies where multiple injured people need to be helped. Saunders is in charge of constructing, and then "shrinking down" the prototype.
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