Knife wound device to stem blood loss wins Dyson Award

A 22-year-old has won a design award after creating a potentially life-saving device to help stem bleeding from stab wounds.

Joseph Bentley won the UK James Dyson Award for his device that inflates a silicone balloon into wounds.

The product design graduate from Essex said two of his friends were "victims of knife-related incidents".

Mr Bentley said he was "thrilled" to have won the national award and £2,000 towards developing his concept.

His React device, which stand for Rapid Emergency Actuating Tamponade, is designed to help police treat knife wounds while waiting for medical assistance to arrive.

Mr Bentley, who studied at Loughborough University, said wound management techniques currently used, such as tightly packing with gauze, could be slow and extremely painful for the victim.

He estimated the prototype could stop haemorrhage in under a minute and save hundreds of lives each year.

"Knife crime is a topic that is personal to me, as two of my friends were victims of knife-related incidents," he said.

"Thankfully both incidents were not fatal, but this is often not the case for so many others.

"Seeing the profound effect that it had on my friends and their families urged me to try and create a solution that could help others in the future."

Mr Bentley said that winning the "prestigious" award "confirms that the React concept could have real world benefits and a positive impact on society".

"Although medical device testing takes a long time, I'm looking forward to using the prize money to develop my innovation further and hopefully see the device in the hands of first responders saving lives."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk