• Sarah M Mongold, Fabiola Mancha, Wells L Weymouth, Joseph K Maddry, and Steven G Schauer.
• Brooke Army Medical Center, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
• Mil Med. 2023 Nov 3; 188 (11-12): e3382e3385e3382-e3385.

IntroductionUncontrolled hemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable death in the prehospital, combat setting. Treatment guidelines emphasize immediate hemorrhage control and early resuscitation with whole blood or blood products. Current methods for the delivery of blood products are often insufficient to provide trauma resuscitation. The novel LifeFlow device is a hand-powered device that can rapidly infuse fluids, including blood products. However, successful use of this device in the hands of the intended end user has not been demonstrated.Materials And MethodsWe conducted a pilot study to assess how quickly and effectively medics could set up the LifeFlow device and infuse mock blood products into a casualty. They were provided with a brief block of instruction (<10 min) and the opportunity to handle the device. The time to set up the device and proportion of successful completion were recorded. Participants were surveyed regarding the use of the device including post-study interview.ResultsForty medics, who were recruited and eligible to participate, completed the study procedures. All medics were able to successfully set up the device and perform the infusion. We had two instances of fluid leakage owing to malfunctions with the simulation arm, not the LifeFlow device. The mean time to device setup was 112 s (95% confidence interval [CI], 101-124). The mean time for infusion of 500 mL of fluid was 94 s (95% CI, 83-105). The mean time for all procedures was 197 s (95% CI, 178-213). On product feedback, they generally found it easier to use, easy to manipulate, possessing a useful grip, easily set up, and requiring minimal training.ConclusionsThe medics were able to reliably assemble and use the LifeFlow rapid infusion device. However, there were concerns about the packaging and the single indication for the device.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2022. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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