Evaluation of possible battlefield suction pumps for the far-forward setting

Abstract

Medical personnel use suction pumps to clear a patient's airway of mucous, blood, and emesis. Because of size, weight, and durability, many commercially available suction pumps are not suited for battlefield application. The objective of this study was to identify a well-designed suction pump for use in the far forward environment. We report on the performance of seven candidate battlefield suction pumps, all of which are human-powered devices and intended to be carried by medics. Three commercially available pumps, one modified device, a syringe, and two new prototypes are evaluated and compared. We show that all of the devices are capable of generating suction pressure, but one pump stands out in terms of size, weight, and performance.