Handheld surgical robot can help stem fatal blood loss

Matt Johnson (right) and Laura Brattain (left) test a new medical device on an artificial model of human tissue and blood vessels. The device helps users to insert a needle and guidewire quickly and accurately into a vessel, a crucial first step to halting rapid blood loss. After a traumatic accident, there is a small window of time when medical professionals can apply lifesaving treatment to victims with severe internal bleeding. Delivering this type of care is complex, and key interventions require inserting a needle and catheter into a central blood vessel, through which fluids, medications, or other aids can be given. First responders, such as ambulance emergency medical technicians, are not trained to perform this procedure, so treatment can only be given after the victim is transported to a hospital.