Philips Research Press Release

Briarcliff Manor, NY, USA - Philips Research announced today that it had received funding for phase one of a planned four-year DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) medical project to reduce the number of battlefield deaths from internal bleeding. A consortium led by Philips Research will develop a new medical technology that automatically detects and stems the internal bleeding of wounded soldiers. The technology will take the form of an ultrasound-based cuff device. Its application could also be extended to prevent blood loss related civilian deaths.

“Ninety percent of all combat deaths occur before a casualty reaches a medical facility with definitive medical care so a tool that can detect and reduce internal bleeding will help those trying to save lives in the field” said Dr. Helen Routh, Principal Investigator and General Manager of Philips Research. “In addition, these technologies could also be used in civilian trauma situations, giving substantial benefit to the public.”

Research into the proposed technology, “Autonomous Acoustic Hemostasis”, will concentrate on the development of a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technique for stemming internal bleeding by encouraging coagulation. The technology will be so simple to use that personnel with no medical training could successfully apply it.

Comprised of robust and lightweight cuffs applied to the arms and legs of the wounded individual, the device will automatically detect internal bleeding and use an ultrasound pulse to coagulate the blood at the site of the trauma. This stems further blood-loss and allows the casualty to be moved to a field hospital or Emergency Room.

In addition to helping the critically injured, the technology can reduce the number of limbs lost and help identify those at risk of progressive shock, which can quickly become life threatening.

The technology also promises to benefit the public by complementing Philips Medical Systems’ solutions for the emergency medicine market. The device could enable even minimally trained personnel to potentially save lives, as is the case with the Philips HeartStart defibrillator.

Philips Research is collaborating with researchers at the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle; Philips Applied Technologies, Houston, Pennsylvania and San Jose, California; and Philips Medical Systems, Bothell, Washington and Andover, Massachusetts.

Philips works with partner organizations to share insights. The company’s strategy of Open Innovation, where exchange of knowledge and expertise plays a vital role, is key to a successful innovation process.

“We’ve assembled an outstanding multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Washington, and Philips to work towards the goal of improving outcomes from trauma with powerful new tools that have real-life application,” said Dr. Lawrence Crum, Principal Investigator for UW and Director of the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound at the Applied Physics Laboratory.


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For further information please contact:

Philips Research
Betsy McIlvaine
Tel: +1 914-945-6195
E-mail: betsy.mcilvaine@philips.com
 

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering people-centric, innovative products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 134,200 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2007, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, as well as lifestyle solutions for personal wellbeing. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
 

About University of Washington

For more than 25 years, the University of Washington has been among the country's top five institutions in the dollar value of federal research grants and contracts awarded to its faculty. Total grant and contract activity for 2005 was nearly $1 billion. Serving 39,000 students, the UW's faculty includes five Nobel Laureates and the winner of the 1990 National Book Award for Fiction.