Device which stops blood in stabbing victims wins James Dyson design award
Watch ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell interview with Joseph Bentley
A 22-year-old has won this year's UK James Dyson Award for designing a potentially life-saving device to help stem bleeding from knife wounds.
Joseph Bentley, who's from Essex, says it's designed to be used by Police - who are often first on scene but don't have the rapid and accessible tools required to prevent catastrophic blood loss in stab victims.
Stab victims can bleed to death in just five minutes, so the priority for emergency personnel is to stop excessive blood loss. Paramedics have wound pack kits that they use to treat stab victims but police are usually first on the scene and do not currently have the same tools.
His React device, which stands for Rapid Emergency Actuating Tamponade, aims to help police treat knife wounds while waiting for medical assistance to arrive.
The tool inflates an implantable medical-grade silicone balloon tamponade into the wound tract, effectively filling the cavity and preventing internal bleeding. Mr Bentley said current wound management techniques, such as tightly packing with gauze, can be slow, technical, and extremely painful for the victim.
He claims that his prototype could potentially be in place and stop haemorrhage in under a minute, and estimates it could save hundreds of lives a year.
A&E doctor and former Love Island contestant Dr Alex George, said:
"Sadly, knife crime is on the rise and we're seeing more and more incidents of kniferelated injuries in A&E departments in London and across England and Wales. Although more needs to be done in the wider community to tackle knife crime at the source, Joseph's React concept could be an impressive solution to help first responders, police officers, and medical professionals deal with these types of injuries, should it pass its medical trials.
The 22-year-old wins £2,000 towards developing his concept as part of the national prize and will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award 2021.
"I was thrilled when I found out I'd won the national James Dyson Award," Mr Bentley added.
"This prestigious endorsement confirms that the React concept could have real world benefits and a positive impact on society. Although medical device testing takes a long time, I'm looking forward to using the prize money to develop my innovation further and hopefully see the device in the hands of first responders saving lives."