Tourniquets in Field Management of Active Bleeding

This study was groundbreaking. First, it was a prospective study; second, it found a complication rate of 1.7% limited to nerve palsies. These updated findings on complications of the device have helped to allay prior fears of morbidity that deterred tourniquet use. Following suit, the civilian community conducted its own research. Yielding low complication rates and high potential benefits, this research bolstered the recommendation for aggressive early tourniquet use.7 Mirroring the wave of change in military protocols, by 2012 some large metropolitan areas began equipping ambulances with commercial tourniquets and training EMS providers on proper use.8
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents Trauma Source Type: news