Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40670987›Full record

ArticleBMC emergency medicine2025

Enhancing military airway suction devices with a focus on performance and portability.

Maria J Londono, Saketh R Peri, Rakib Hasan, Connor J Evans, David Restrepo, Robert A De Lorenzo, R Lyle Hood

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Maria J LondonoDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
Saketh R PeriDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
Rakib HasanDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
Connor J EvansDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
David RestrepoDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
Robert A De LorenzoDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
R Lyle HoodDepartment of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA. lyle.hood@utsa.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAirway management is critical in combat casualty care, with airway compromise being the second leading cause of preventable battlefield deaths. Suction devices are essential for clearing obstructions during airway management; however, many medics choose not to carry them due to their excessive weight. Current standards for suction devices mention a minimum liquid flow rate of 1.2 L/min and a maximum device weight of 6 kg, but these standards fail to meet the practical needs of military end-users. The team conducted an I-Corps funded end-user assessment study with over 100 participants, in which a minimum flow rate of 1 L/min and a maximum weight of 4.5 kg were indicated as preferred among respondents. This gap between the standards and user preferences results in exclusion of existing devices from military kits due to weight concerns despite meeting performance criteria.

methodsTo address this gap, the Suction Combat Ready Advanced Multifunctional Machine (SCRAMM) was developed with input from U.S. Military clinical stakeholders to emphasize both performance and portability. SCRAMM is designed to handle diverse medical scenarios simultaneously and was characterized against the market leaders Zoll 330 and Impact 326M. Liquid flow rates and device weights were measured and analyzed according to ISO standards and end-user requirements.

resultsZoll 330 and Impact 326M exceeded the ISO-required liquid flow rate by 145%, with weights of 4.8 kg and 5.1 kg, respectively. Additionally, both devices were heavier than the user-preferred weight limit of 4.5 kg. SCRAMM, with three suction lines for simultaneous diverse medical tasks, exceeded the ISO flow rate by 23%. It remained within the preferred weight range at 3.4 kg, demonstrating greater performance-to-weight balance in consideration of actual user needs.

conclusionThis study demonstrates the successful development and characterization of SCRAMM. It met ISO flow rate standards and remained under the 4.5 kg weight threshold preferred by end-users-outperforming current market leaders in portability while maintaining effective suction. These results highlight the importance of incorporating a performance-to-weight metric in evaluating portable suction devices. We recommend that future standards balance performance with portability to better suit military and emergency medical needs. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.

Indexed as

Airway ManagementAirway ObstructionEquipment DesignMilitary MedicineHumansMilitary PersonnelStakeholder ParticipationSuctionUnited StatesAirway suctionEmergency medicineMedical deviceMilitary medicinePre-hospital

Identifiers

PMID40670987
PMCPMC12269139

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.