Nearly 70% of the deaths in combat occur from blood loss incurred in the first few minutes after a wound. Training army personnel for various extreme situations is a critical component of being prepared for combat missions. It is crucial that every participant in combat is trained to stop bleeding and conduct hemorrhage control. At this moment, four out of nine training procedures involve the use of animal blood, which not only implies a biological hazard but it is expensive and promotes animal cruelty. The use of an artificial blood simulant is a safer and less expensive route for training. As part of a US Army sponsored SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) project, Spectra has developed a new blood simulant that resembles human blood: SimuBleed 1000.
SimuBleed 1000 mimics the physical characteristics of human blood (color, viscosity, tactile feel) without any hazardous components, special transportation or sacrifice of live animals. SimuBleed 1000 is cost-efficient and easy to clean.
Properties
- Dark red color, which is an excellent color match for venous blood
- Rheology and flow profile close to human blood (more viscous than water)
- Clots quickly in the presence of the special gauze laminate (although slower, clots in presence of air as well)
- Can flow through narrow and wide passages (as those found in Laerdal Mannequins)
- Once it dries, it becomes “flaky”, just like dried blood
- Unlimited shelf life. No special storage or transportation required
- Safe and easy to clean. No biological or hazardous components
- Inexpensive
SimuBleed 1000 has been tested on Laerdal Mannequins embedded with a bleeding simulator containing narrow and wider passages to simulate, realistically, venous and oozing bleeding. Since personnel needs to be trained to stop bleeding and conduct hemorrhage control as quickly as possible, the coagulation properties of SimuBleed 1000 allows trainees to have a real feel as to how quickly one must respond and how long it takes for a given wound to stop bleeding. Once the laminate gauze is applied to the wound, coagulation of the blood simulant begins until the bleeding stops.
The contact of SimuBleed 1000 with the gauze laminate triggers a chemical reaction. As a consequence, the blood simulant thickens, accurately resembling the coagulation of blood. Until now, no other blood simulant has been able to achieve clotting properties that mimic those of human blood. SimuBleed 1000 and the gauze laminate are intended to be used as a tandem product, since the same techniques are applied in the battlefield to stop bleeding from wounds and control hemorrhagic situations. The use of a regular gauze or any other super absorbent tissue will not induce the coagulation of the simulant.
Although SimuBleed 1000 was developed for the training of military personnel, any situation that requires the use of a blood simulant could benefit from the unique properties of this advanced blood simulant: from civilian emergency training to theatrical blood, SimuBleed 1000 will not only look like real blood, but it is also safe and easy to clean.
*Disclaimer SIMUBLEED 1000 IS NOT A BIOLOGICAL BLOOD SUBSTITUTE. SIMUBLEED 1000 IS NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, FOR USE IN BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, OR FOR ANY OTHER UNSPECIFIED USE. IF INGESTED, SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.