The Army surgery resident is U.S. Army Capt. Bradley Pierce. He is a general surgery resident physician at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii and a commissioned Army officer. Pierce graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, earned his M.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and is conducting federally funded surgical innovation research while in residency.
Public reports describe Pierce’s invention as a life support system designed to keep patients alive longer after a traumatic abdominal hemorrhage (severe internal bleeding in the belly), especially in battlefield or other austere settings. It is intended to stabilize or prolong survival in the critical period before definitive surgery, with anticipated use in emergency departments and rural or resource‑limited treatment centers. However, open sources do not yet provide technical detail on how the device works (for example, whether it uses special pumps, blood‑recycling circuits, or regional perfusion techniques).
The “groundbreaking” label comes from institutional and media descriptions rather than from published clinical trial data. The Army/Defense Health Agency and Tripler Army Medical Center describe Pierce’s system as a “groundbreaking” or “innovative” life support technology that aims to enhance survival after traumatic abdominal hemorrhage and note that his work has attracted about $1.2 million in federal research funding. As of now, there are no publicly available peer‑reviewed trials or outcome studies that independently demonstrate superior survival benefits, so the evidence base in open sources is limited mainly to these official characterizations and the awarded research funding, not to completed human studies.
Available public information does not indicate that Pierce’s life support system has received FDA clearance or approval. The work is described as an innovative, federally funded research project to develop a new system for managing traumatic abdominal hemorrhage, but there is no mention in Army, Defense Health Agency, or Forbes materials of an FDA submission, marketing authorization, or ongoing formal clinical trial. Based on what is publicly reported, the device appears to still be in the research and development or pre‑clinical/early‑testing phase rather than in approved clinical use.
Reported plans focus on both military and civilian use in settings where rapid surgical care is hard to reach. Army and Tripler write‑ups state that the system is intended to prolong survival after abdominal hemorrhage on the battlefield and could later be used in emergency rooms and rural or resource‑limited treatment centers. The idea is to buy time for evacuation and definitive surgery for combat casualties and to support trauma care in civilian hospitals that lack immediate access to advanced surgical teams. Specific deployment timelines, procurement plans, or fielding schedules have not been disclosed publicly.
Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Healthcare list is part of a broader Under 30 franchise that highlights 30 people under age 30 in healthcare who are, in Forbes’ judgment, “improving care, empowering patients and making healthcare more efficient,” often through innovation, measurable impact, and growth potential. Candidates are drawn from public nominations and editorial scouting, then evaluated by Forbes reporters and outside judges on criteria such as impact, originality, scalability, and traction (for example, funding, research recognition, or adoption). The 2026 30 Under 30 lists, including Healthcare, were released on December 2, 2025, as part of Forbes’ 15th annual Under 30 class of 600 honorees across 20 categories.