For Release: 04-04-2006

First Iraq War Casualty Treated with Sorenson Medical’s Hi-Tech Infusion Pump Is Now in Training for Beijing’s 2008 Paralympics

SALT LAKE CITY (April 4, 2006) – It was a day U.S. Army Sgt. Brian Wilhelm will never forget. “On Oct. 7, 2003, my infantry unit was ambushed outside of Balad, Iraq and I was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade,” recalled Wilhelm, who is now retired from the Army. Slammed by an agonizing blow to the lower part of his left leg, Wilhelm’s buddies from the Fighting Eagles of the Eighth Infantry quickly applied a tourniquet to his grievously damaged limb and Wilhelm was flown by Black Hawk helicopter to an army field hospital as have so many other modern battle casualties.

But once at the 21st Combat Support Hospital, Wilhelm was treated for his pain in a manner unlike any other wounded GI before him. The military anesthesiologist who treated Wilhelm used a sophisticated pain control technique made possible by a high-technology infusion pump called ambIT® developed by Sorenson Medical in Salt Lake City, Utah. Applying this advanced method of pain control allowed the grievously wounded soldier to remain conscious—but pain-free—up until the operation that amputated his leg.

The pain control technique that the military anesthesiologist used involves the precise delivery of local anesthetic via catheter to a limb-specific nerve, which blocks pain signals from wound to brain. This method provides immediate, profound pain relief to excruciating wounds of the extremities. In addition to immediate cessation of Wilhelm’s pain, the new pain-control technique brought him a long-term medical benefit. In the past, a large percentage of soldiers who lost limbs in battle reported phantom pain for years afterwards, a result of their pain not being treated at the source or managed well. “Two years after the injury, I feel no phantom pains or sensations,” Wilhelm said. “Because the pump and a skilled anesthesiologist were there, I had an opportunity no soldier before me has had in any other war. The ambIT infusion pump is one of the things that I credit for my recovery,” Wilhelm said.

Sorenson Medical’s new generation of microprocessor-controlled medical infusion pumps are about the size of a TV remote and run on two AA batteries. These ambIT pumps are flexible, accurate and reliable—even in the heat and dust of a Middle East desert battlefield. “My infusion pump had to withstand the weather conditions of Iraq, air pressure changes of the evacuation flights, and still manage my pain levels throughout the trip. That speaks volumes about the ambIT infusion pump’s quality and the care Sorenson Medical takes in the development of their products,” said Wilhelm.

Since introduction of the new pain control technique in Iraq, the use of infusion pumps by the military has increased rapidly in both Iraq and Afghanistan because in these modern battlefields, improvised explosive devices, high-velocity bullets and rocket-propelled grenades cause particularly agonizing wounds to soldiers’ extremities, which are unprotected by body armor that shields their torsos.

Just over two years later and a world away, Wilhelm is living in Colorado, has a two-year old daughter, and is training for the Pentathlon competition in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, China. Always involved with sports while growing up, Wilhelm is now preparing for the Pentathlon’s 100-meter and 400-meter foot race, long jump competition, shot put and discus.

About Sorenson Medical
Sorenson Medical (www.sorensonmedical.com) specializes in the design and manufacture of compact, electronic ambulatory infusion pumps that are easy to use and deliver medication precisely. The ambIT® line of infusion pumps offers physicians new options for managing post-operative pain, for delivering chemotherapy and IV anti-invectives, and for other continuous or intermittent therapies in the outpatient setting. Sorenson Medical is FDA registered and the quality system is certified to ISO 13485: 2003 and ISO 13485:1996 with Canadian Medical Device Amendments. Sorenson Medical’s products are CE marked (European Conformity) for distribution in the European Union and European Economic Area.