Drawing and storing blood using a 3D printed bottle cap and a disinfected 500 mL drinking bottle: A proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: Today, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the demand for blood is high. Despite this, few companies produce the necessary equipment to draw, store, and transfuse whole blood. This study evaluated the safety and performance of a 3D printed bottle cap in conjunction with a water bottle and some available consumables to draw and store fresh whole blood. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Bags of saline, and freshly donated whole blood, was transferred to the water bottle through a 3D printed bottle cap and stored for 72 h. An identical setup, transferring saline to a Terumo blood collection bag was used as control. Performance and safety were evaluated by calculating infusion rate and observing for backflow, respectively. The blood was also tested for hemolysis and bacterial growth at four sampling points. RESULTS: The cap-and-bottle setup was faster than control in terms of flow rate when transferring saline (1.53 vs. 1.81 mL/s, p < .001), and non-inferior to saline control when transfusing blood (1.53 vs. 1.49 mL/s, p = .641). We did not observe any risks of causing the donor iatrogenic harm, and there was no evidence of increased hemolysis. However, there were traces of bacterial contamination in three of six bottles. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that drawing blood is both feasible and safe, utilizing a 3D printed cap and bottle setup. Flow rate was faster than control, and mechanical properties of the blood were not affected. We were unable to determine the source of bacterial contamination in the blood.

3D-Printed Tourniquets Used at the Battlefront in Ukraine: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The war in Ukraine urged a need for prompt deliv- erance and resupply of tourniquets to the front. Producing tour- niquets near the battlefront was a feasible option with respect to resupply and cost. METHODS: A locally produced 3D-printed tourniquet (Ukrainian model) from the "Tech Against Tanks" charity was tested against commercially available and Committee of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC)- recommended tourniquets (C-A-T™ and SOF™TT-W). We tested how well the tourniquets could hold pressure for up to 2 hours. RESULTS: A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences between the groups (p<.05). Post-hoc testing revealed a signif- icant difference between the C-A-T and the Ukrainian tourni- quet (p=.004). A similar significance was not found between the SOF™TT-W Wide and the Ukrainian model (p=.08). Dis- cussion: The Ukrainian model can hold pressure as well as the commercially available tourniquets. There is much value if this can be produced close to the battlefield. Factors including lo- gistics, cost, and self-sufficiency are important during wartime. CONCLUSION: We found that our sample of 3D-printed tourni- quets, currently used in the war in Ukraine, could maintain pressure as well as the commercially available tourniquets. In- deed, our tests demonstrated that it could maintain a signifi- cantly higher pressure.