3D-Printed Tourniquets Used at the Battlefront in Ukraine: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The war in Ukraine urged a need for prompt deliv- erance and resupply of tourniquets to the front. Producing tour- niquets near the battlefront was a feasible option with respect to resupply and cost. METHODS: A locally produced 3D-printed tourniquet (Ukrainian model) from the "Tech Against Tanks" charity was tested against commercially available and Committee of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC)- recommended tourniquets (C-A-T™ and SOF™TT-W). We tested how well the tourniquets could hold pressure for up to 2 hours. RESULTS: A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences between the groups (p<.05). Post-hoc testing revealed a signif- icant difference between the C-A-T and the Ukrainian tourni- quet (p=.004). A similar significance was not found between the SOF™TT-W Wide and the Ukrainian model (p=.08). Dis- cussion: The Ukrainian model can hold pressure as well as the commercially available tourniquets. There is much value if this can be produced close to the battlefield. Factors including lo- gistics, cost, and self-sufficiency are important during wartime. CONCLUSION: We found that our sample of 3D-printed tourni- quets, currently used in the war in Ukraine, could maintain pressure as well as the commercially available tourniquets. In- deed, our tests demonstrated that it could maintain a signifi- cantly higher pressure.

Abstracts from The Cold Weather Operations Conference 2021.

A common effort for both military and civil healthcare is to achieve knowledge-based health care in cold weather injuries and fatal accidents in harsh arctic environment. The Cold Weather Operations Conference in November 2021, having more than 300 participants from 20 countries, was addressing the prevention and treatment of injuries and trauma care in cold weather conditions and the challenges for military prehospital casualty care. The intention of the programme was to stimulate further research and systematic knowledge-based clinical work. The abstracts from the conference present cold weather research and clinical experience relevant for readers of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.