Guy Cook, President of Bacterin, said, "Three-fourths of all battlefield injuries today are open fractures to a soldier's arms or legs. MASH units treating these soldiers must use temporary measures to transport casualties from the battlefield to military hospitals for full care. Unfortunately, by the time these soldiers reach definitive care, multiple organisms have infected nearly 70 percent of these open wounds.
"Under our DOD Appropriations project, we will be working to add bioactive coatings to temporary orthopedic fixation devices used to treat battlefield wounds.
"Anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, anti-coagulant, or pain relief properties embedded in a bioactive coating could significantly reduce the high rate of infection seen in medical devices currently implanted under battlefield conditions. Coated medical devices could reduce pain and suffering, and possibly save limbs, even lives."