Life-saving injectable magnetic fluid could staunch blood loss
In treating most accident victims, first responders struggle to control bleeding especially with deep or wide open wounds – a team at America’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), led by Yonatan Tekleab, have designed a magnetic fluid that can effectively do this.
The magnetorheological suspension is liquid with tiny magnetic particles which will instantly solidify when it comes into a magnetic field between two small magnets. The magnets can be adhered on either side of the laceration and together with the injected suspension can form a temporary measure to reduce or even cease blood flow out of the body. At the hospital, the magnetised blockage would be removed, and the wound would be closed.
The system presently works on external injuries, but Tekleab said it could have a significant impact on survival probability, “Our hope is to extend patients’ survival time by at least 30 minutes by conserving blood, so that they are in a more stable condition upon arrival at a trauma center.”
Category: Technology & Devices
