Device To Stem Blood Loss From Knife Wounds Wins Award

A 22-year-old product design graduate won the U.K. James Dyson award for a new device that stems blood loss in stab wounds.

Joseph Bentley was inspired to create the device after seeing two of his friends become “victims of knife-related incidents”.

The REACT (Rapid Emergency Actuating Tamponade) device “uses a rapid, inflatable Tamponade device that is inserted into the stab wound. The automated inflation of this Tamponade provides internal pressure direct to the bleeding site, controlling bleeding faster than current methods,” according to an article posted on the James Dyson Award website. 

The article states “It takes 10 minutes for an ambulance to arrive in London, but it only takes 5 minutes to bleed to death,” so rather than being used by paramedics the device is targeted at first responders like police.

Bentley estimates that the prototype could stop haemorrhage in under a minute and save hundreds of lives each year.

“Knife crime is a topic that is personal to me, as two of my friends were victims of knife-related incidents,” he said.

“Thankfully both incidents were not fatal, but this is often not the case for so many others. Seeing the profound effect that it had on my friends and their families urged me to try and create a solution that could help others in the future.”

Beyond the recognition of his work Bentley will also receive a £2,000 reward to continue the development of the device.