Critical Innovations LLC
Critical Innovations LLC is a medical research and development company focused on creating cutting-edge solutions to health threats across pre-hospital, hospital, and military environments. The company focuses on task-shifting evidence-based interventions to earlier echelons of care and more general specialty levels, to simplify management and allow for rapid provision in emergency and combat environments. The company is dedicated to developing innovative medical devices and technologies that enhance emergency care and trauma management, particularly in military settings.
Critical Innovations LLC
Ross Donaldson
4228 Marine Avenue, Lawndale, CA 90260
What We Do
An automated burr-hole device that allows a far-forward operator to easily establish intracranial access through an automated, non-surgical procedure with the device auto-sensing and auto-stopping once reaching the epidural space.
A decompression needle that uses patented, anti-plunging technology to provide a safe and reliable treatment for suspected tension pneumothorax. Rapidly approaching availability for commercial US sale (TRL 9), this technology will have been advanced to market solely under Department of Defense funding.
A device for treating acute ocular injuries, Eye-Aid™ temporarily tamponades leakage from such injuries while being easy to remove upon arrival to specialized ophthalmologic care.
F.O.A.M.™ deploys a rapidly expanding thermoreversible foaming agent via an autostopping needle inserted into the peritoneal cavity. Severe intra-abdominal bleeding currently requires operative treatment by trained surgeons, while the patented F.O.A.M.™ technology task-shifts to allow earlier abdominal hemostasis by a wider range of providers.
A thoracostomy system designed to prevent or treat retained hemothorax. The device is optimized for placement outside of the operating room, where maintaining a large sterile field is difficult.
The world’s first foaming hydrogel that self-sets for medical use while delivering topical therapeutics directly to an injured area for far forward care of traumatic wounds.
This specialized burn dressing deploys as a thick foam and self-sets into a viscous hydrogel barrier once warmed to skin temperature through a reverse-phase-shifting process.
A foaming hydrogel designed for treating penetrating trauma, funded by the JPC-2/Military Infectious Diseases Research Program.
A foaming hydrogel developed for treating sulfur mustard injuries, funded under a Chemical and Biological Defense Program.
An innovative, wearable device capable of delivering treatment for prevention of wound infection, developed under DHA funding.
A manufacturing process to produce qualified devices and device components in remote environments developed under US Space Force funding.
Medical Devices
Battlefield Resuscitation
Key People
Ross I. Donaldson
President & CEO
Jonathan Armstrong
Vice President of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs
Oliver Buchanan
Vice President of Production & Engineering
John Cambridge
Vice President of Research
Perry Lew
Director of Operations
Diane Goldenberg
Director of Grants & Contracts
Funded Projects
BurRapid Epidural Drainage Attachment for Traumatic Brain Injury
Epidural bleeding from traumatic brain injury (TBI) is immediately life-threatening and can quickly lead to brain herniation and death unless there is immediate neurosurgical intervention. BurRapid™, developed by Critical Innovations, is a medical device that provides hematoma drainage and intracranial pressure monitoring to sustain TBI patients on the battlefield. This allows for provision of these life-saving interventions earlier in the roles of care, including at the point-of-injury.
News & Updates
A study demonstrating the benefits of Eye-Aid™ in treating ocular injuries in a large animal model, published in Military Medicine.
Critical Innovations hosted visitors from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity to review ongoing projects.
Critical Innovations presented at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium, showcasing its developing technologies.
MTEC 2020 Prototype of the Year Award
Critical Innovations was awarded the MTEC 2020 Prototype of the Year for its innovative medical technology solutions.
Critical Innovations published a new preclinical study in the Journal of Surgical Research evaluating the company’s thermoreversible intra-abdominal foam, Fast Onset Abdominal Management™ (F.O.A.M.™), for treating noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH).
Critical Innovations hosted representatives from DARPA to highlight the company’s ongoing development of the Revite™ Automated Trauma Resuscitation System, which is being developed under DARPA’s GOLDen hour extended EVACuation (GOLDEVAC) program.