Wounded Warriors injured on the battlefield often require life-saving rapid infusions of blood products shortly after a serious injury. The standard intravenous tubing used for these infusions can constrict the flow of resuscitating fluids, lengthening the amount of time when time is of the essence. As an emergency medical services (EMS) physician, Maj. (Dr.) Nicholas Studer, also a combat casualty care scientist at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, understands the urgency of a rapid infusion for critically injured patients and wanted to do something about it.

Research scientists at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR) at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, know that blood loss, or hemorrhage, is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield. To mitigate that problem, a team of scientists assigned to the ISR Blood and Shock Resuscitation Combat Casualty Care Research Team 1 (CRT1) are investigating a new method to get blood to combat wounded at the point of injury.