Collaborating with other scientists and engineers, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research developed an algorithm that measures the body’s ability to compensate for blood loss, or the compensatory reserve. The compensatory reserve index (CRI) can predict when a patient is about to go into hemorrhagic shock. The device, which takes readings from a standard pulse oximeter, received FDA clearance in December 2016.
USAISR researchers believe that combat medics attending to battlefield wounded, as well as civilian EMTs, can employ the device to save lives, as it can continuously monitor patients and provide a guide for fluid resuscitation and other interventions.
