Most battlefield deaths result from internal bleeding and could be prevented if medics had access to standard hospital technologies. A portable, hand-held ultrasound scanner developed by ATL Ultrasound can provide images of internal organs and detect sites of internal bleeding that might not be apparent to on-site medics. By providing a rapid assessment of internal injuries, the scanner will assist medics in treating battle and disaster victims according to the severity of their injuries. Prototype devices are currently under evaluation in civilian and military hospitals.
The technology, which is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency, stems from the design of Applications Specific Integrated Circuits that pack into a few silicon chips the functionality of several large boards of electronics.