A recent Israel21c article discussed a new low-tech medical device that redirects blood to core organs in case of hemorrhagic shock or cardiac arrest. In the 1940s, fighter pilots used inflatable anti-gravity suits to prevent blood from pooling in their legs and causing loss of consciousness. This product evolved into medical anti-shock trousers used to stabilize hemorrhagic shock patients by transferring blood from the legs to core organs. An Israeli-born physician/inventor used this concept to develop HemaShock, an elastic ring that squeezes blood out of the legs or arms toward vital organs in case of shock from blood loss.
The device can also be used in case of a heart attack to increase the amount of time a patient has to make it to the hospital for treatment. When used, the heart is filled with the patient’s own blood, which is no longer pumped down to the legs allowing CPR compressions channel blood to the brain, heart, kidneys, and other essential organs. The device, which costs a mere $175, is FDA-approved as an auto-transfusion tourniquet device pending further clinical trials to expand the product's specific indications.
