WILSONVILLE, Ore., January, 2014 - The SAM Junctional Tourniquet (SJT) has been successfully deployed in a field setting. The use of the SJT on a soldier in Afghanistan was the first documented use of the product since its release. The injury occurred to an approximately 20-year old male in the Afghan National Army. The soldier had a gunshot wound to his left groin 5-6 cm distal to the inguinal fold, slightly lateral to midline of the thigh. The patient was treated on the scene with a cloth dressing and an extremity tourniquet directly over the entry wound; he was then transported to an aid station.
Upon arrival to the aid station, the tourniquet was removed to assess the wound, whereby brisk arterial bleeding occurred. The wound was packed with gauze and pressure was applied. Due to the location of the wound, a decision was made by the onsite personnel to apply the SAM Junctional Tourniquet (SJT) over the left inguinal area just proximal to the entry wound to minimize further arterial blood flow to the leg. It was difficult at that time to determine if the patient had a femur fracture by clinical assessment, but the SAM Junctional Tourniquet clearly immobilized the pelvis and hips after placement.
The on-scene medics reported that they had benefited from their time training on the SJT since acquiring them in early December. In addition to the use of the SJT, the medics also used SAM Splints to stabilize the right leg of the patient and to minimize patient movement that could compromise the intraosseous (IO) infusion system; this splinting was aimed to protect the IO.
“We are pleased that our products have been used successfully to aid soldiers on the battlefield. It’s always gratifying to hear that your product has been used to help someone,” said Will Fox, VP of Marketing and Business Development. “It validates the effort put into creating and testing a new product before launching it to the field. We hope the SJT continues to be a useful tool for saving lives.”
The SJT has three purposes – controlling inguinal hemorrhage, controlling axilla hemorrhage, and stabilizing pelvic fractures. No other device currently available on the market offers this level of versatility for these three FDA-cleared indications.
About SAM Medical Products
SAM Medical Products is committed to bringing innovative solutions to market that meet the challenging needs of emergency medicine, the military, and hospitals around the world. The SAM Splint is the gold standard in flexible splinting products, and we take pride in creating quality products that raise the bar. Our product lines focus primarily on fracture management and wound care, and include the SAM Splint, SAM Pelvic Sling II, the SAM Chest Seal, SAM Soft Shell Splint, and the SAM Junctional Tourniquet. Headquartered in Wilsonville, OR, our products are distributed globally in over 60 countries. Find out more at www.sammedical.com.