Military Tests Telemedicine Device From RTD

The Tempus Pro has passed a major field test.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared telemedicine device from Remote Diagnostic Technologies Limited underwent two days of informational and operational testing in Camp Pendleton, Calif., earlier this year. The Tempus Pro attaches to the patient at the point of injury and broadcasts his vital signs back to a battalion aid station or aiding physician who in turn, helps field soldiers diagnose and treat battlefield injuries.

Lt. Cmdr. David Gribben, project head of expeditionary medicine with Marine Corps War Fighting Lab (MCWL), said the brief field trial allowed military officials to test the device in a controlled setting to determine future options for the product.

“We don’t just want to look at the technology in isolation,” Gribben said. “What we want to do is look at it as a part of an operational concept.”

Marc Whedbe, director of U.S. military sales for Remote Diagnostic Technologies, visited Pendleton to work with MCWL and the Field Medical Training Battalion corpsmen to demonstrate the Tempus Pro’s capabilities and discuss possible improvements.

“I was extremely impressed with the corpsmen’s view on it and how they would utilize it in a field of fire,” Whedbe said.

While those testing the CE Marked machine are expert corpsmen who have experienced the medical demands of highly kinetic battlefields, Whedbe said anyone can operate it.

“The standard training on this lasts only three hours,” Whedbe said. “Even if the individual does not have the skillset or the medical training, there is an assist screen that allows the individual to walk through what needs to be done.”

The Tempus Pro is one of the most complex and capable medical devices available to the military, and it is equally as durable, according to Gribben. “With the exception of something completely catastrophic, this machine can take a lot of abuse,” he said.

The military specifications on the Tempus Pro require it to withstand 26 drops from all acute angles, 10 to 15 minutes under a fire hose, and ball bearings dropped from four feet onto the screen.