By: Daniel Nardini
You may never have heard of the ITClamp Hemorrhage Control System, but it might someday save your life. Invented by a Canadian surgeon named Dennis Filips, this special clamp can be used to stop major bleeding by sealing the skin around a wound in five seconds. This way a person in serious shock will not bleed to death, and the prevention of a major loss of blood will make minutes count when an injured person is transported to the hospital for surgery. This device only costs $65, and can mean the difference of life and death for so many people. Developed by Dr. Filips in Afghanistan, the device was used to stop Canadian soldiers from bleeding while injured in combat before they could be transported to a nearby medical hospital.
The major application for such a device in civilian use would be for those injured in car accidents, in sports games, and in industrial accidents. One of the greatest dangers of any person who is injured is simply bleeding to death. Even if they do not bleed to death, a major loss of blood can mean any person will most likely not survive transport to a hospital. If a major wound can be sealed, then it can add minutes to a person’s life and the greater chance for someone to live. In this regards, this device is a major step forward in saving lives. The medical profession is already interested in this device as are investors who see this as a major change in medical procedure. This device should receive approval from Canada’s medical regulatory body Health Canada by the end of the year, and should then be available in Europe in the beginning of next year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the device by early 2013, and the U.S. military has shown an interest in it.
A small clamping device that may make the difference between life and death is maybe a small step in the preservation of human life, but for any and all of us it is something that will be no small thing for us, our family and loved ones, and for our neighbors. There may not be much in the way of news about this single invention, but this is how great inventions come about. Eventually it will be something that we will not only hear about, but which will change the quality of our lives—in this case for the better.
How Great Inventions Happen
By: Daniel Nardini
The major application for such a device in civilian use would be for those injured in car accidents, in sports games, and in industrial accidents. One of the greatest dangers of any person who is injured is simply bleeding to death. Even if they do not bleed to death, a major loss of blood can mean any person will most likely not survive transport to a hospital. If a major wound can be sealed, then it can add minutes to a person’s life and the greater chance for someone to live. In this regards, this device is a major step forward in saving lives. The medical profession is already interested in this device as are investors who see this as a major change in medical procedure. This device should receive approval from Canada’s medical regulatory body Health Canada by the end of the year, and should then be available in Europe in the beginning of next year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the device by early 2013, and the U.S. military has shown an interest in it.
A small clamping device that may make the difference between life and death is maybe a small step in the preservation of human life, but for any and all of us it is something that will be no small thing for us, our family and loved ones, and for our neighbors. There may not be much in the way of news about this single invention, but this is how great inventions come about. Eventually it will be something that we will not only hear about, but which will change the quality of our lives—in this case for the better.