Development of an Advanced Life Detector.
Abstract
Effective medical management of combat casualties requires that care begins at the point of injury on the battlefield. A fundamental determinant of the ultimate survival and quality of life of the individual casualty is the immediacy with which appropriate medical care is initiated. Such care includes measures to minimize hypovolemia, hypothermia, and hypoxia. Tissue hypoxia is a major cause of morbidity and the ultimate cause of death in most humans. We have conducted a product development effort resulting in a prototype advanced life detector (ALD) that utilizes our flash reflectance oximetry (FRO) method to determine heart rate and oxygen saturation through various types of clothing at a variety of body sites. This effort resulted in delivery of six functional prototype units. The development effort consisted of implementing the FRO in a small, portable, battery-operated device suitable in design for field use by an aidman. Additional work is required to obtain high reliability suitable for field testing and field use.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADB151844
Entities
People
- George M. Samaras