A tourniquet tourniquet is a lifesaving tool for stopping external bleeding by cutting off the flow of blood by applying pressure to a limb. The use of this material is reserved for rescue professionals and should only be used in exceptional situations or significant external bleeding. Put in emergency, the injured person can then be transported to the hospital or to a post of care before losing too much blood.

A tourniquet tourniquet is a lifesaving tool used to stop external bleeding by cutting off the blood flow by applying pressure to an upper or lower limb:

• main ;
• arm ;
• leg ;
• pied.

The tourniquet tourniquet has:

• a strap;
• a tightening screw or twist handle, which only need to be turned to tighten the strap around the limb from which the bleeding flows, and achieve efficient compression;
• a locking system to prevent accidental loosening.

The installation of a tourniquet tourniquet is part of the emergency or first aid measures to stop a significant bleeding in exceptional conditions. Indeed, this gesture is carried out to face a risk of vital emergency and to stop a serious external hemorrhage of a limb, only in the following situations:

• direct compression with the hand or a compression bandage on the affected limb is not possible, the wound is not inaccessible;
• direct compression with the hand or a compression bandage on the affected limb is not effective;
• if it is necessary to have your hands free to provide other care;
• to cope with crush syndrome if the injured person has a limb trapped under a heavy object or rubble for too long;
• when the injured person is incarcerated in a vehicle during a road accident and the extrication must await the assistance of firefighters;
• in the event of an object stuck in the victim;
• in case of amputation;
• in the event of a strong influx of injured people, to gain time while waiting for additional assistance and come to the aid of other victims, or to alert the emergency services.

A tourniquet tourniquet can only be used by:

• health and first aid professionals;
• OHS (Rescuers and Rescuers at Work);
• any person called upon to help one or more victims (road accident, terrorist attack, etc.).

Conseils d’utilization

• position the strap on the affected limb (arm or thigh), between the heart and the wound, well upstream of the bleeding site;
• pass the strap through the buckle of the withers;
• tighten the buckle strongly;
• lock the buckle;
• turn the twist handle until the bleeding stops;
• position the torsion handle in the fixed hook;
• note the time when the tourniquet was placed, for example on the victim’s forehead or on the tourniquet.

Precautions for use

• the installation of a tourniquet by a private individual must be done after having joined the emergency services;
• protect hands with disposable gloves;
• lie the victim on the ground in a horizontal position in order to delay as much as possible the state of distress caused by a consequent loss of blood;
• if possible, apply sterile compresses to the wound;
• do not remove or loosen the tourniquet, even for a few seconds; loosening must be supervised by the medical profession;
• the placement of a tourniquet should not exceed 2 hours; beyond that, the risk of the appearance of nerve damage resulting in paralysis of a limb is high;
• never put a tourniquet directly on a wound or on a joint;
• cover the victim with a survival blanket;
• keep the tourniquet visible and uncovered so that it can be easily seen by caregivers.

The criteria for purchasing a tourniquet tourniquet are as follows:

• the template: make sure that the selected model is well adjustable in size;
• transportability: intended for use in the field, the weight of tourniquet tourniquets turns out to be important. Favor a light model that does not take up space;
• ease of use: choose a tourniquet tourniquet that is easy to put in place.

It should be noted that some tourniquet tourniquet models are designed:

• with extremely resistant materials for safe use;
• with a label to note the time of the tourniquet installation;
• to be fitted with one hand so that you can place the tourniquet on yourself in the event of an injury. In this case, one hand is compressing the wound while the other places the tourniquet upstream to stop the flow of blood;
• for easier fitting and made possible with gloves;
• for quick release with minimized risks.