LONDON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Technology being developed in Britain by a team of military doctors and scientists will help stop casualties of battlefields and stab victims from bleeding to death.
The TXA Autoinjector project will allow life-saving blood clotting treatment to be administered at the push of a button, helping stop rapid blood loss.
The project was given a boost by Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson with a 6.5-million-U.S. dollar cash injection to accelerate the technology.
Williamson announced the funding during a visit Tuesday to the Royal London Hospital and London's Air Ambulance at Barts Health Trust in London.
Williamson said: "Our work to save lives does not stop at our serving men and women but must also be about helping to improve the livelihoods of people across the world. This technology will allow us to just that, whether it is rolling it out to emergency services in the UK, or equipping medics in developing countries across the globe."
If successful, the cutting-edge medical technology could be adapted from use in the battlefield to any major trauma incidents, from stab wounds to road traffic accidents.
It could also be used to help women in developing countries who suffer major blood loss during birth and are unable to access medical treatment.
Nigel Tai, trauma surgeon at The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust said: "Large international clinical trials show that TXA saves lives in bleeding patients. But we also know that for patients to be given the best chance, TXA should be given as soon as possible after injury."
"The prospect is, that by packaging the drug into a pre-filled Autoinjector, injured soldiers can self-treat as part of their first-aid drills, and won't have to wait for evacuation or specialist medical help to arrive"
The auto-injector uses Tranexamic Acid, which is a cost-effective and reliable drug that stabilizes and strengthens blood clotting within damaged tissues and can be administered by an untrained user.
Currently, administration of TXA requires an intravenous drip but the development of the auto-injector will allow it to be administered safely into a muscle.
The treatment is expected to benefit up to a third of seriously injured soldiers who would otherwise die from their wounds.
"Once developed, the Autoinjector could be rolled out to police, NGOs, ambulance services, and Code Red first aid kits situated in public places," said the ministry of defence.
