Tourniquets are tight bands used to control bleeding by completely stopping the blood flow to a wound. Tourniquets work only on arm and leg injuries; you can't exactly wrap a tight band around a patient's neck and cinch it down to stop the flow of blood.
Traditionally, tourniquets were reserved for the worst bleeding to keep the patient from developing shock.
The use of tourniquets was first documented on the battlefield in 1674. Complications of tourniquet use were said to lead to severe tissue damage. Soldiers had amputations of limbs that were often attributed to the use of tourniquets but could have just as easily been from infection. Eventually, tourniquets developed a bad rap in the field of emergency first aid.
Applying a tourniquet in the civilian world used to be seen as a last resort. It was thought that they made sense for soldiers because combat wounds are severe and a fighter needs to fight. A tourniquet can be applied and ignored.
That doesn't mean tourniquets don't work. On the contrary, tourniquets can arrest bleeding quite well and are certainly useful in cases of severe bleeding that cannot be stopped any other way. They're popular on the battlefield because they can be applied quickly and do not need to be constantly monitored once they are in place, allowing even injured soldiers to remain conscious and continue fighting.
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Two dozen of these should be in every classroom across this great country.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and you should carry the jaws of life with you in your car at all times.
ReplyDeleteBad article. Dangerous advice. Tourniquets should be used only as a last resort, and only used for a very short period of time. They must be loosened and re-tightened repeatedly, or the stopping of blood flow to the extremity will result in tissue death and amputation, if the injured party survives. Applying direct pressure to the wound is the most effective way to stop blood loss without endangering the patient. Every EMT knows that.
ReplyDeleteYour sound medical advice is dated, which leads me to believe you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
DeleteIf you r alone & one arm is bleeding severely...
ReplyDeleteTampons work great for bullet wounds too.
ReplyDelete9:06 is right...Ray...
ReplyDeleteI had a tourniquet that was about as wide as a blood pressure arm band.It could be loosened periodically and then re tightened without excessive blood loss.A 3 or 4 inch wide band helped alleviate some of the issues mentioned by 9:06,but still only for temporary use.And it was air controlled,just like a blood pressure monitor.The ideal application was to place the band directly on the wound and pump it up tight with a bandage or paper towel between the band and wound.It could be extended enough to encircle the average thigh.Expensive,but a life saver.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that clarification 9:06. I know years ago this procedure was taught in first aid classes. I thought it had been change later but was afraid to say anything thinking I may have just had it wrong.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone reading this believes there is any truth behind what 9:06 wrote you deserve to bleed out.
ReplyDeleteFebruary 15, 2018 at 3:03 PM:
ReplyDeleteAnd YOU deserve to have an arm or leg amputated. But I'm sure you would be adamant in suing a medical provider for applying a tourniquet that causes the lost of a limb. Nothing but the truth in my comment. But go ahead and believe and say anything you want. If you use a tourniquet to stop bleeding, be prepared to for the limb to be lost. A tourniquet should only be used when the choice is the limb, or your life. Think shark bite, where the leg, or arm, is already partially missing. If you have a limb to save, a tourniquet is not the answer. Direct pressure can be messy, but it is effective, and preserves the limb. If you have lost enough blood that your life is in danger, a tourniquet is not going to change the outcome. And I have training in the field of emergency first aid. Do you?
February 15, 2018 at 3:03 PM:
ReplyDeleteHis comment was informative. Your's is just a mean comment, without any value. I'd hate to think what you deserve.