Every minute counts when a soldier bleeds out on the battlefield or a civilian suffers traumatic injury far from a hospital. For decades, emergency responders have relied on outdated tools that haven’t evolved with the urgency of their mission. Now, a 15-year-old innovator is flipping that script in this multi-billion-dollar field.
Kenneth Y. Lin has created a groundbreaking surgical device that could fundamentally change how emergency responders treat life-threatening bleeding in the field. Lin, founder of CryoBlade, has developed the world’s first cryomedical tool designed specifically for emergency field use, a handheld device that instantly cauterizes wounds using controlled cold instead of traditional methods to mitigate bleeding.
The device works through a cryogenic surgical blade, offering both precision cutting and rapid hemostasis by harnessing the extreme cold—akin to the properties of ice but designed for continuous, controlled use without melting. The benefits are significant: it slows bleeding through cold application, numbs the area on contact, and avoids the significant tissue damage and pain produced by thermal cautery. Plus, CryoBlade enables first responders to make surgical incisions in the field when necessary.
The innovation addresses a critical gap in emergency medicine where hemorrhage remains the #1 cause of prehospital death, accounting for over 40 percent of fatalities. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on gauze packing or heat-based cautery, CryoBlade provides rapid, precise cold hemostasis through a rechargeable, field-ready design tailored for first responders, combat medics, and humanitarian teams operating in resource-limited environments. In mass-casualty incidents (MCIs), first responders face a deadly dilemma: use all their gauze on one survivor, or ration it across many. CryoBlade eliminates that tradeoff.
“First responders are solving 2025’s problems with 2010’s systems and 1920’s technologies,” says Lin. That frustration sparked the development of CryoBlade. The sleek, handheld instrument eliminates the delays and tissue damage associated with current methods while offering a reusable solution for emergency situations where seconds can determine survival.
CryoBlade is designed to achieve cold hemostasis in under 5 seconds—up to 90% faster than heat-based tools, and over 20× faster than gauze. Additionally, CryoBlade is styled to weigh under 500 grams, lighter than a can of soda, and is engineered for one-handed use by EMTs, medics, or volunteers in austere environments.
The project has already garnered significant attention from the medical technology community. Within days of its public announcement, CryoBlade was accepted into Angel to Exit, a prominent Silicon Valley accelerator, received interview invitations from Fogarty Innovation and SOSV, and advanced to the second screening phase of the National Science Foundation’s SBIR Phase I program. The company has also secured trademark protection and incorporated as a federally recognized C-Corporation.
Despite his young age, Lin brings substantial credentials to the venture. He has received commendation and formal recognition from the U.S. Congress, published scientific research, and launched multiple innovation-focused ventures. These include The Shield Foundation, an organization helping inventors file patents, and aSPT, an AI-guided allergy diagnostic system using microneedles that he presented at MIT and for which he self-filed a nonprovisional patent. He is also the youngest panelist speaker ever for the 2026 Health 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas. Additionally, Lin developed CoEmergency, described as the world’s first FDA-compliant AI triaging system for first responders.
“A thought leader whose curiosity and humility are matched by a drive to make a meaningful impact,” said Caleb Kline, Director at Harvard Ventures, describing the young founder.
For the company, Lin articulated his vision clearly: “We’re not just updating trauma care, we’re redefining it. CryoBlade was invented to give combat medics, first responders, and soldiers the ability to instantly cauterize wounds with the cold. This is not a rerun. This is a revolution.”
CryoBlade is now forging partnerships with emergency medical services, trauma networks, and global non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The company is preparing for pilot deployments in collaboration with groups like Médecins Sans Frontières and the World Health Organization, with FDA 510(k) approval and international PCT patent filing on the horizon.
This advancement marks a new chapter in trauma medicine, bringing fast, clean, reusable cold cauterization into the hands of those who need it most. As the medical world hunts for innovations that can save lives in critical moments, CryoBlade may be the cold-powered breakthrough that turns the tide.
15-Year-Old Inventor Creates Ice Scalpel To Revolutionize Trauma Medicine
Every minute counts when a soldier bleeds out on the battlefield or a civilian suffers traumatic injury far from a hospital. For decades, emergency responders have relied on outdated tools that haven’t evolved with the urgency of their mission. Now, a 15-year-old innovator is flipping that script in this multi-billion-dollar field.
Kenneth Y. Lin has created a groundbreaking surgical device that could fundamentally change how emergency responders treat life-threatening bleeding in the field. Lin, founder of CryoBlade, has developed the world’s first cryomedical tool designed specifically for emergency field use, a handheld device that instantly cauterizes wounds using controlled cold instead of traditional methods to mitigate bleeding.
The device works through a cryogenic surgical blade, offering both precision cutting and rapid hemostasis by harnessing the extreme cold—akin to the properties of ice but designed for continuous, controlled use without melting. The benefits are significant: it slows bleeding through cold application, numbs the area on contact, and avoids the significant tissue damage and pain produced by thermal cautery. Plus, CryoBlade enables first responders to make surgical incisions in the field when necessary.
The innovation addresses a critical gap in emergency medicine where hemorrhage remains the #1 cause of prehospital death, accounting for over 40 percent of fatalities. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on gauze packing or heat-based cautery, CryoBlade provides rapid, precise cold hemostasis through a rechargeable, field-ready design tailored for first responders, combat medics, and humanitarian teams operating in resource-limited environments. In mass-casualty incidents (MCIs), first responders face a deadly dilemma: use all their gauze on one survivor, or ration it across many. CryoBlade eliminates that tradeoff.
“First responders are solving 2025’s problems with 2010’s systems and 1920’s technologies,” says Lin. That frustration sparked the development of CryoBlade. The sleek, handheld instrument eliminates the delays and tissue damage associated with current methods while offering a reusable solution for emergency situations where seconds can determine survival.
CryoBlade is designed to achieve cold hemostasis in under 5 seconds—up to 90% faster than heat-based tools, and over 20× faster than gauze. Additionally, CryoBlade is styled to weigh under 500 grams, lighter than a can of soda, and is engineered for one-handed use by EMTs, medics, or volunteers in austere environments.
The project has already garnered significant attention from the medical technology community. Within days of its public announcement, CryoBlade was accepted into Angel to Exit, a prominent Silicon Valley accelerator, received interview invitations from Fogarty Innovation and SOSV, and advanced to the second screening phase of the National Science Foundation’s SBIR Phase I program. The company has also secured trademark protection and incorporated as a federally recognized C-Corporation.
Despite his young age, Lin brings substantial credentials to the venture. He has received commendation and formal recognition from the U.S. Congress, published scientific research, and launched multiple innovation-focused ventures. These include The Shield Foundation, an organization helping inventors file patents, and aSPT, an AI-guided allergy diagnostic system using microneedles that he presented at MIT and for which he self-filed a nonprovisional patent. He is also the youngest panelist speaker ever for the 2026 Health 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas. Additionally, Lin developed CoEmergency, described as the world’s first FDA-compliant AI triaging system for first responders.
“A thought leader whose curiosity and humility are matched by a drive to make a meaningful impact,” said Caleb Kline, Director at Harvard Ventures, describing the young founder.
For the company, Lin articulated his vision clearly: “We’re not just updating trauma care, we’re redefining it. CryoBlade was invented to give combat medics, first responders, and soldiers the ability to instantly cauterize wounds with the cold. This is not a rerun. This is a revolution.”
CryoBlade is now forging partnerships with emergency medical services, trauma networks, and global non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The company is preparing for pilot deployments in collaboration with groups like Médecins Sans Frontières and the World Health Organization, with FDA 510(k) approval and international PCT patent filing on the horizon.
This advancement marks a new chapter in trauma medicine, bringing fast, clean, reusable cold cauterization into the hands of those who need it most. As the medical world hunts for innovations that can save lives in critical moments, CryoBlade may be the cold-powered breakthrough that turns the tide.
