There are 2 common scenarios where individuals may experience an unexpected scenario that would require immediate response to excessive blood loss: household incidents and motor vehicle accidents. Used by soldiers and military units from all over the globe, the pre-hospital tourniquet is often designed with a windlass to tighten limbs and stop bleeding. Death from blood loss can happen in minutes and it’s critical to focus on cutting the circulation as soon as possible.
If a life threatening situation were to occur, you’ll be glad that you had one at the ready. The real challenge is finding the right tourniquet for you that is both effective and reliable at stopping the bleed. There are hundreds of different tourniquets on the market and a generic search on Amazon can leave buyers confused and overwhelmed in choosing the right one.
What To Look For When Buying A Tourniquet?
The biggest danger when buying a tourniquet is choosing one that is cheap, both in price and quality. Thousands of buyers rushed to purchasing tourniquets last summer when the War in Ukraine escalated. Those that donated ended up doing more harm than good with their contributions to soldiers in the fight. Tourniquets with an attractive price point of $8.99 were ineffective at stopping the bleed as the cheap plastic windlass would snap from cranks and also tear the belts fabric apart from the extreme tightening tension. It’s best to buy from a reputable vendor or directly from the manufacturer to ensure the right quality control is in place with these essential medical devices.
Another factor is ease of application. It’s best to choose one that is deployable with one hand, otherwise known as “single-handed application”. Again, seconds matter and you need to get that tourniquet strapped immediately and not waste time setting up the mechanism. Instead make sure that it’s out of the package and ready to go.
Do I Need A Tourniquet?
Yes, and there are people out there that keep 4 in their packs (think one per limb). Regardless of what your profession is, accidents happen and you need to have a preemptive mindset when it comes down to life or death.
Whether you have one already or are still searching for the right one, you need to learn how to properly apply a tourniquet on yourself or others. Signing up for a local Stop The Bleed Training course will teach you the basics of treating and assessing traumatic injuries.
Our advice,
Just don’t wrap a tourniquet around your neck.