Enhancing military airway suction devices with a focus on performance and portability.

Abstract

Background: Airway management is critical in combat casualty care, with airway compromise being the second leading cause of preventable battlefield deaths. Suction devices are essential for clearing obstructions during airway management; however, many medics choose not to carry them due to their excessive weight. Current standards for suction devices mention a minimum liquid flow rate of 1.2 L/min and a maximum device weight of 6 kg, but these standards fail to meet the practical needs of military end-users. The team conducted an I-Corps funded end-user assessment study with over 100 participants, in which a minimum flow rate of 1 L/min and a maximum weight of 4.5 kg were indicated as preferred among respondents. This gap between the standards and user preferences results in exclusion of existing devices from military kits due to weight concerns despite meeting performance criteria.

Methods: To address this gap, the Suction Combat Ready Advanced Multifunctional Machine (SCRAMM) was developed with input from U.S. Military clinical stakeholders to emphasize both performance and portability. SCRAMM is designed to handle diverse medical scenarios simultaneously and was characterized against the market leaders Zoll 330 and Impact 326M. Liquid flow rates and device weights were measured and analyzed according to ISO standards and end-user requirements.

Results: Zoll 330 and Impact 326M exceeded the ISO-required liquid flow rate by 145%, with weights of 4.8 kg and 5.1 kg, respectively. Additionally, both devices were heavier than the user-preferred weight limit of 4.5 kg. SCRAMM, with three suction lines for simultaneous diverse medical tasks, exceeded the ISO flow rate by 23%. It remained within the preferred weight range at 3.4 kg, demonstrating greater performance-to-weight balance in consideration of actual user needs.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the successful development and characterization of SCRAMM. It met ISO flow rate standards and remained under the 4.5 kg weight threshold preferred by end-users-outperforming current market leaders in portability while maintaining effective suction. These results highlight the importance of incorporating a performance-to-weight metric in evaluating portable suction devices. We recommend that future standards balance performance with portability to better suit military and emergency medical needs.

Clinical trial number: not applicable.