A hand-powered infuser rapidly delivers blood and blood components, in addition to crystalloid and colloid resuscitative fluids.

The 410 Medical (Durham, NC, USA) LifeFlow Rapid Infuser is a single-use device with a levered compression handle that is used to deliver fluids into the patient’s bloodstream via an intravenous (IV) administration tubing set. When manually compressed, the handle actuates the syringe, and fluid is delivered from a container to the patient; the infuser automatically refills when the handle is released. The device also includes a clear canopy, through which the graduations and contents of the syringe can be viewed during use.

A typical trained user is able to provide fluids with LifeFlow at almost four times the rate of an infusion, allowing almost 500 ml to be delivered within two minutes. Another benefit is one-handed operation, which frees providers to address other patient care issues simultaneously. In addition to infusing blood to treat hemorrhagic shock, crystalloid and colloid resuscitative fluids can be provided to patients with critical conditions such as sepsis and hypovolemic shock.

“Severe hemorrhage is a leading cause of potentially preventable death from trauma and other causes of life-threatening bleeding,” said Mark Piehl, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of 410 Medical. “Current methods of treating hemorrhage are often too slow or complex to work effectively when minutes matter. LifeFlow provides a simple and efficient option to front line providers caring for critically ill patients who need blood products delivered quickly.”

Standard methods of rapidly replenishing blood and fluids include gravity infusion, IV infusion pumps, pressure bags, and the use of the manual “push-pull” syringe technique (PPT), which is commonly used in pediatric emergency care. All of these techniques have drawbacks that make them inadequate when rapid fluid delivery is required to reverse shock and hypotension. While the addition of a pressure bag has been shown to speed fluid delivery, it requires constant re-inflation to achieve adequate flow.

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