Investigators at the University of Washington are evaluating the ability of a novel vital sign, the Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI), to provide early warning of hemorrhagic shock during transport from the point-of-injury to the Emergency Department.

DENVER, CO, April 06, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ — Hemorrhagic shock is a leading cause of preventable death in both military and civilian trauma settings. In the U.S., hemorrhage is the leading cause of death for ages 1 – 46.

Investigators at the University of Washington are evaluating the ability of a novel vital sign, the Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI), to provide early warning of hemorrhagic shock during transport from the point-of-injury to the Emergency Department.

“Shock is hard to predict, especially in the trauma setting,” notes Flashback Chief Clinical Development Officer Sandy Melzer. “Humans can compensate for substantial blood loss before suddenly collapsing. It’s a significant challenge to recognize who is at risk. Up to half of hemorrhage-related deaths happen in the pre-hospital environment.”

Research to date has indicted that CRI provides earlier warning of hemorrhagic shock versus traditional vital signs. Using an intuitive scale from 1 (normovolemia) to 0 (collapse), CRI provides a real-time and continuous estimate of a subject’s proximity to hemodynamic collapse. CRI is calculated from the raw PPG waveform using a noninvasive, off-the-shelf pulse oximeter. An initial reading is provided within 30 seconds and continuously updated thereafter. No baseline is required. Importantly, the parameter is sensitive to individual tolerance of volume loss.

“We will test the hypothesis that lower CRI values during transport will be predictive of hemorrhagic shock,” said Harborview Medical Center’s investigator, Dr. Andrew Latimer, “and that CRI can guide resuscitation in a predictable fashion.”

Flashback Technologies’ FDA-cleared CRI monitors are currently deployed on 16 ambulances and 5 airlift helicopters. Participating agencies include Airlift Northwest, King County Medic One and Seattle Fire Medic One. Investigators estimate the year-long study will gather data on at least 700 subjects. The project is observational and HIPAA-compliant. Patient information will be de-identified to protect the privacy of all participants.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the highly respected team at Harborview Medical Center on this seminal large-scale evaluation,” said Kiernan McGuire, Flashback Technologies’ CEO. “This project will build on the extensive literature on CRI’s ability to provide paradigm-shifting insight to help guide clinical decisions.”

The study is funded by the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) through a Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) award. Flashback’s award falls under an effort to support the development of new technologies that provide early detection of hemorrhage and the risk of hemorrhagic shock. Around half of all preventable combat-related deaths that occur before reaching a military treatment facility are hemorrhage-related.

About Flashback Technologies Inc.
Flashback Technologies develops groundbreaking vital sign monitoring solutions that provide novel insight for caregivers and better outcomes for patients.

The company’s first commercial, FDA-cleared product is the Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI). Due to a variety of compensatory mechanisms, standard vital signs do not deteriorate with central volume loss due to hemorrhage or dehydration until the patient is near collapse and at risk of hypovolemic shock. CRI provides insight into intravascular volume loss well in advance of traditional vital signs such as HR, ECG, BP, SpO2 and SV.

Early detection and intervention enabled by CRI can mitigate risk, improve outcomes and focus resources on the most critical cases. To date, over 50 peer-reviewed papers have been published on CRI. Leading research partners have included Duke Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado and the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research.

Flashback’s founder and Chief Medical Officer is Dr. Steven Moulton, Director of Pediatric Trauma and Burn Services at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine. Dr. Moulton is the State of Colorado Vice-Chair for the American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). His research efforts span the fields of trauma and burn care, resuscitation and hemodynamic monitoring.

To learn more, visit http://www.flashbacktechnologies.com or email: info@flashbacktechnologies.com

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