Military
In the 1970’s, the broad study of injuries obtained on the battlefield led to one of the most used parameters that determine the severity of trauma: the Golden Hour.
R. Adams Cowley is credited with promoting this concept, first in his capacity as a military surgeon and later as head of the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. However, there is evidence that the concept of the "Golden Hour" may have been derived from the French military’s data from World War II.
According to Cowley, "There is a golden hour between life and death. If you are critically injured you have less than 60 minutes to survive. You might not die right then; it may be three days or two weeks later— but something has happened in your body that is irreparable.”
Today, time to treatment remains the most critical determination of life or death for military personnel during active combat. However, it is now measured in minutes and seconds, as military personnel face increasingly-dangerous weapons and combatants. Advancements in field hospital and surgical operations have led to enormous improvements in casualty outcomes, but nothing provides faster, more accurate and precise diagnostic data than connected body sensors, which can record and transmit medical information in real time.
That’s why Lifeline™ is partnering with the U.S. Navy Seals division to develop and test a base layer of clothing, worn under military-approved combat gear, to combine time and life-saving medical technology to aid field doctors in the heat of combat. These wearable devices are one part of a multi-layered approach that will help keep troops safer and bring them home faster and healthier.