The challenge

Background and context

Medical personnel such as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians work in complex and fast‑paced environments when deployed in combat operations. Combat casualty management involves triage for evacuation based on medical assessment and diagnostics. 

The ability to evacuate critical casualties from the battlefield to advanced medical centres is limited. Casualties often remain in the combat area for an extended period, which may impact their survival rate. Continuous monitoring and priority shifting is a reality faced by medical staff operating on the battlefield. Portability of equipment is important to be able to move through the battlefield. Ideally, the solution would be small, rugged, easily carried by one individual to monitor multiple casualties. 

Combat zones have limited resources and constraints including, but not limited to, reliable networks, limited power supplies, and the need for military personnel to avoid detection. Medical personnel must often diagnose, treat, and prioritize evacuation in reduced noise, light, and electronic transmission environments for safety and tactical reasons. 

Medical monitoring devices for use in civilian applications such as vital signs monitors, ultrasounds, and biosensors are not adapted for battlefield conditions due to their size, fragility, and because they require a proprietary cradle to charge, which is often not available. In addition, the triage of casualties in a combat setting (e.g., limited networks and power supplies, detection avoidance) relies on multiple devices, which is cumbersome, and may not interface into a common display. This challenge seeks to eliminate the need to have a separate computer/display for every medical sensing device. The combat setting also has the requirement of detection avoidance, and to address this, there is a need to have the ability to turn off or lower the radio frequency, light, and noise emissions of any equipment. 

A possible approach would allow emergency surgical teams to assess multiple diagnostics, imagery, and measures, with smaller, lightweight, low-power, medical sensors connected to a main portable display. A suitable solution would not need to transmit data or images to a supporting ‘back end’ server or database, due to limited network and the need for medical personnel to remain stealth while working.  

To deal with multiple casualties and to improve their survivability assessments, novel medical sensors technologies that use artificial intelligence would help reduce loss of life by supporting decision making from the time of injury to entry into a hospital. 

Essential outcomes

Proposed solutions must:

• Provide medical decision support such as, but not limited to, triaging, ranking (low to high priority), ability to alert to changes in casualties condition to ensure best casualty survivability;
• Provide vital signs monitoring for two or more casualties using a single device;
• Have the ability to control the level of radio frequency outputs (or transmission), lights, and noises for stealthy use; and,
• Be easily carried by one person without assistance and ruggedized for use in battlefield conditions (i.e., waterproof, sand proof, useable in extreme temperature (hot/cold), and in austere environments).

Desired outcomes

Proposed solutions should include capabilities such as, but not limited to:  

• Providing vital signs monitoring for five or more casualties using a single device. 
• Have the ability to completely disable radio frequency outputs (or transmission), lights, and noises for stealthy use.  
• Using a handheld mobile device such as a phone or tablet as the display interface with tactical display screen options such as dimmable. 
• Be usable with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as medical-grade gloves. 
• Including standard or universal connectors such as, but not limited to, USB-C. 
• Be battery powered.