Fort Defiance Industries (FDI) has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Navy for Phase I development of a Portable Ruggedized Energy Efficient Medical Sterilizer (PREEMS). Sterilization of medical and surgical instruments is a critical step in minimizing the risk of infection to combat casualties during far-forward medical interventions. Current field sterilizers are large, power-intensive systems that require large amounts of water to operate. “We are excited to leverage our experience and success with our P2131 sterilizer to innovate a small, lightweight, highly-reliable autoclave capable of sterilizing small surgical instruments in a far-forward tactical environment”, says FDI’s President & CEO Chris Yerger. The Phase III end goal is to produce an FDA 510(k)-approved medical sterilizer that can be used in austere environments for both commercial and military applications. Potential private sector use includes remote area medical clinics, paramedics/EMTs, search and rescue teams, and disaster relief organizations.
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