Controlling Bleeding When Tourniquets Won’t Suffice

The Junctional Emergency Treatment Tool (JETT) provides two pressure pads in a single device with the ability to treat both unilateral and bilateral injuries, thereby stopping blood flow to the lower extremities without impeding respiration. It is configured for easy, rapid, deployment and it comes preassembled and ready for use in a compact, vacuum-sealed pouch. The JETT is rugged enough to withstand the rigors of austere environments, and is also designed to allow for patient movement without dislodging or reducing pressure, enabling it to be effectively utilized in triage during the prehospital environment.

The JETT offers a treatment solution for what has become the new leading cause of preventable combat death—junctional hemorrhage, injuries due to explosive blasts and penetrating trauma located too high in the groin or inguinal space to be treated by standard tourniquet devices. An important advantage is that the JETT is a mechanical device (rather than a pneumatic or air inflated device), thus maintaining steady pressure on the injury regardless of atmospheric pressure changes, and without fear of puncture or damage to an air bladder. The JETT device is a product of North American Rescue (NAR; Greer, SC, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Having recognized the gap in first line tactical casualty care, we designed the JETT to be applied quickly, easily and accurately in difficult conditions,” said Joanne Walter, senior vice president of product management at NAR. “Development of the JETT has been an excellent opportunity to work closely with key prehospital medical practitioners in order to understand the specific needs that they have and provide a solution that clearly exceeds anything currently available.”

“Today, high extremity wounds in the thigh/groin account for up to 20% of preventable deaths on the modern battlefield,” said Major General (retired) Lester Martinez-Lopez, MD, MPH, US Army. “Previously, the majority of preventable deaths were attributed to extremity hemorrhage from gunshot or blast injuries, but recent data from the battlefield and the widespread success of the windlass tourniquet in use by military forces has warranted a new focus in tactical casualty care.”

Related Links:
North American Rescue