Emergency Clamp Stops Traumatic Bleeding in Combat Zones

A novel clamp, inspired by a simple hair clip, could help reduce the mortality rate from traumatic hemorrhage in the battlefield.

The ITClamp is designed to address massive hemorrhage--a leading cause of death in traumatic injury--by controlling critical bleeding in under three seconds. The sterile, plastic clamp is close to five centimeters in length, with curved needles along the “jaws” of the device. In a trauma situation, the responder clamps the device along the wound. The curved needles and the shape of the ITClamp draw the wound up into the device and anchor it with even pressure, allowing the blood underneath to create a clot around the wound, helping to stop the bleeding until the victim receives further medical attention.


The clamping device seals the skin closed to create a temporary pool of blood under pressure, which forms a stable clot until the wound can be surgically repaired; bigger wounds take more devices. The ITClamp can be applied in a matter of seconds, and can be used by basically anyone with minimal training; it can stay in place for hours until the patient is in the operating room (OR). The ITClamp is a product of Innovative Trauma Care (ITC, Edmonton, Canada).

“The ITClamp will level the playing field for everybody, it wouldn't matter if you were a medic or soldier, this idea is just simple, and anyone could self-treat or treat a buddy within seconds of the injury,” said device developer Dennis Filips, MD, a retired physician who served with the Canadian Armed Forces for 20 years, after completing tours in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and the Golan Heights.

Related Links:
Innovative Trauma Care (ITC)