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Field-Ready Suction Solutions for Emergencies: The Battlefield Ready Innovative Suction Kit (BRISK)
Saketh R Peri1,2, Maria J Londono1,2, Rakib Hasan3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|March 28, 2025
Summary
The Battlefield Ready Innovative Suction Kit (BRISK) is a lightweight portable suction device designed for emergency airway management. It offers competitive performance and reliable operation in all orientations, making it ideal for pre-hospital settings.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Devices
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Portable suction devices are essential for emergency airway management.
- Existing commercial units are often too large and power-dependent for field use.
- The Battlefield Ready Innovative Suction Kit (BRISK) was developed based on feedback from emergency medical personnel.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a lightweight, multi-orientation portable suction device for pre-hospital use.
- To assess the performance of the BRISK device against established benchmarks and competitor devices.
- To ensure the BRISK device meets the demands of emergency medical responders in diverse field conditions.
Main Methods:
- BRISK's design was refined through end-user feedback from combat medics, paramedics, and EMTs.
- The prototype incorporated a vacuum pump and hydrophobic syringe filters.
- Performance testing included vacuum pressure, air and liquid flow rates (water and ISO vomit simulant), multi-orientation functionality, and contamination prevention, comparing BRISK against SSCOR Quickdraw and Laerdal LCSU4.
Main Results:
- The 0.97 kg BRISK device achieved a maximum vacuum pressure of 570 mmHg and an air flow rate of 5.20 L/min.
- Liquid flow rates with water were 4.92 L/min for BRISK, 6.97 L/min for LCSU4, and 5.37 L/min for SSCOR.
- BRISK demonstrated consistent performance across all tested orientations (p=0.081), unlike LCSU4 and SSCOR (p<0.0001), with minimal cross-contamination (0.01%).
Conclusions:
- BRISK is 30% lighter than comparable market devices, offering competitive vacuum pressures and liquid flow rates.
- The device ensures effective liquid evacuation in upright, tilted, and inverted orientations.
- BRISK shows potential for superior clinical performance in pre-hospital and first response scenarios.
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