Technique could help save limbs of soldiers

A NEW technique which could help save soldiers’ limbs after battlefield injuries has been pioneered by biomedical engineers.

Described as a “life-support system for the limb” it aims to give doctors precious time to attempt to repair damage and reduce amputations.

The technique has been developed by researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and funded by The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory through the Defence and Security Accelerator.

Created in response to the experiences of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Improvised Explosive Devices cause traumatic injury, the threestage approach brings together kit that can be used in the field, with highly specialised solutions once the patient is evacuated to a hospital.

The first stage of the treatment sees a novel tourniquet applied to the limb, which applies pressure at different points, reducing pressure and damage to specific areas.

A cooling “sock” is then wrapped around the tissue, to preserve it from further damage until the casualty can be evacuated to a hospital.

Once at a hospital, the limb is then placed inside a protective “box”, which can sustain the area while doctors attempt repairs.

The box has specially decontaminated air to reduce infection, and continually supplies the affected area with blood.

Professor Terry Gourlay, head of the department of Biomedical Engineering at Strathclyde University, said: “We looked at every stage of the journey an injured soldier follows after injury to ensure our solution was designed specifically for them.”