Keeping hearts pumping with 'LifeFlow'

Tel Aviv University's smart IV device to save lives at disaster sites

When paramedics rush to the scene of a multi-car pileup or a terror attack, their first task is to assess who needs immediate care. But blood hemorrhaging can obscure damage, and the gruesome mess means paramedics can't always determine who should be treated first.

Tel Aviv University's new LifeFlow device, currently in development, could become the paramedic's new best friend ― and save many lives in the process. The technology is based on a highly sophisticated mathematical algorithm which, when applied to a computer-controlled I.V. drip, can accurately assess what percentage of a person's blood stores are left. The device then administers the proper amount and type of I.V. fluid, permitting the paramedic to move on to the next disaster victim with fewer worries –– and more confidence that the first victim will remain stable before arriving at the emergency room.

"It's practically impossible for a well-trained paramedic to assess an individual's loss of blood, especially at a scene where there are already mass casualties," says Prof. Ofer Barnea of TAU's Department of Biomedical Engineering. "When paramedics approach a disaster scene, they have little to no idea how much blood a person has lost. They check a pulse to see if it's weak or strong, and tend to administer fluids automatically when there is any blood loss. But this can be a big medical mistake, since fluid overload can have a grave outcome."

Made-to-measure IVs

An automatic one-size-fits-all intravenous infusion of liquids for severe blood loss is not always the best way to proceed, he says. When a person's blood reserves are meager, the infusion can dilute the blood, reducing its oxygen-carrying capacity. Blood pressure rises from the I.V., the heart starts to pump harder, and infusion-induced oxygen deficit can ensue ― resulting in a preventable fatality.