A student at Loughborough University in the U.K. has developed a patent-pending tool that would enable first responders at a crime scene to stop excessive blood loss from knife wounds in under one minute.

The Rapid Emergency ACtuated Tamponade (REACT) system, which was developed by Joseph Bentley, a final year Product Design and Technology student at the university, can reportedly control the bleeding from a knife wound — which can prove deadly for stabbing victims who could bleed to death in a matter of minutes without adequately applied pressure to the site of the wound. Because police officers are typically the first to respond to such scenes, administering prevention treatment immediately is critical to the victim’s survival, according to Bentley.

Source: Loughborough University

As such, Bentley's device has been designed for emergency personnel responding to crime scenes where the victim has an open stab wound. Emergency responders could use the REACT device and its accompanying medical-grade silicone sleeve, or the tamponade, and a handheld actuator to apply the requisite amount of pressure needed to control bleeding.

According to the developer, responders would insert the tamponade into the victim’s wound, connecting the actuator to the tamponade using a valve and inflating the actuator to a pressure based on the location of the wound, thereby preventing internal bleeding.

A prototype of the REACT system 3D-printed by Bentley features side LEDs, a working side, rear user interface and an actuator. The device is currently designed for hard-to-treat junctional wounds — such as those in the armpit and groin regions and the abdomen.

However, Bentley is currently planning to enhance the REACT device so that it can be used to treat wounds inflicted on other regions of the body. Additionally, Bentley hopes to outfit all first responders such as police officers, ambulance staff and potentially, the military with the REACT system.

For more information on the REACT system, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Loughborough University.