Marine Corps Fields Battery-Powered Blood Bank Gear for Delayed Evacuations

The Marine Corps is fielding portable blood refrigeration, blood warming and ultrasound gear meant to keep wounded troops alive when hospital evacuation is delayed, Defense One reports.

Key points

• Field test: A unit in U.S. Central Command used the Expeditionary Medical Refrigeration Unit (EMRU) and MEQU blood warmer this year to keep a rotating blood bank going, then suggested improvements, officials said.
• How it works: The battery-powered EMRU keeps blood products cold, and the warmer brings them to body temperature for quick transfusions.
• More gear: To check for internal bleeding, Marines are getting the KOSMOS point-of-care ultrasound, plus a medical kit variant of the Squad Power Manager to keep the devices charged.
• Why now: Col. Paul Gillikin, who manages the Combat Support systems program, said the service is "leaving the golden hour behind" and planning for longer patient hold times across the Pacific.
• Cold chain: Navy Cmdr. Kyleigh Hupfl said blood must be moved forward and kept cold without heavy generators, then warmed so a patient does not get worse.

Quick take

According to Defense One, a near-peer enemy with stronger surveillance and missiles could force commanders to delay evacuations and stabilize casualties on site far longer than in Iraq or Afghanistan. Because severe bleeding is the top cause of battlefield death, the outlet notes, on-site transfusion is central to that plan. Brig. Gen. Tamara Campbell said the Corps expects to operate spread out, with evacuation delayed or contested.

Read the full story at Defense One.