After a traumatic event, there is a small period of time during which medical professionals can apply life-saving treatment to victims with severe internal bleeding. Providing this type of care is complex, and major interventions require the insertion of a needle and catheter into a central blood vessel, through which fluids, medications, or other aids can be administered. First responders, such as emergency medical technicians in ambulances, are not trained to perform this procedure, so treatment can only be given after the victim has been hospitalized. In some cases, when the victim arrives for care, it may already be too late.
AI-GUIDE is a core device made with custom-designed algorithms and integrated robots that can couple with most commercial portable ultrasound machines. To operate the AI-GUIDE, the user first places it on the patient's body, near where the thigh meets the abdomen. A simple targeting screen directs the user to the correct location and then instructs them to pull the trigger, which precisely inserts the needle into the receptacle. The device checks that the needle has penetrated the blood vessel, then prompts the user to push an integrated guidewire, a thin wire inserted into the body to guide a larger instrument, such as a catheter, into the vessel. Then the user manually moves the catheter. Once the catheter is securely inserted into the blood vessel, the device withdraws the needle and the user can remove the device.
This work was supported by the US Army Injury Care Research Program and Joint Program Committee-6. Technical contributions were provided by Nancy Dellosa, Forrest Coleman, Jay Gupta, Brian Telfer, David Maurer, Wes Hill, Andrés Chamorro, and Alison Cheng, and Arinc Ozturk provided technical contributions. Guidelines for clinical use.
