page_title: Emergency tourniquet
section_title: Risks
hierarchical_section_title: Emergency tourniquet / Risks
caption_attribution_description: YOKOSUKA, Japan (Nov. 30, 2007) Hospitalman Mark Domingo applies a tourniquet to control bleeding on a simulated casualty during a tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) field training exercise at the Ikego Housing Annex campgrounds. TCCC is a concept of pre-hospital casualty management specific to the combat and tactical environments. During the field training exercise portion of TCCC, Sailors are put into a simulated combat scenario where they have to deal with elements of battle and provide accurate and timely medical care.
context_page_description: Emergency tourniquets are cuff-like devices designed to stop severe traumatic bleeding before or during transport to a care facility. They are wrapped around the limb, proximal to the site of trauma, and tightened until all blood vessels underneath are occluded. The design and construction of emergency tourniquets allows quick application by first aid responders or the injured persons themselves. Correct use of tourniquet devices have been shown to save lives under austere conditions with comparatively low risk of injury. In field trials, prompt application of emergency tourniquets before the patient goes into shock are associated with higher survival rates than any other scenario where tourniquets were used later or not at all.
context_section_description: Possible risks of complications—morbidity—related to emergency tourniquet use include 
  amputation or stump shortening
  palsy
  myonecrosis
  pain
  clot
  fasciotomy
  acute renal failure
  rigor
  abscess
  blisters
  abrasions
  contusions
  and pinching.
  Emergency care services implementing routine tourniquet use, especially in the civilian setting, should exercise caution and ensure that training is adequate for optimal results. However, given proper precautions, the occurrence of complications due to tourniquet use is quite rare. Designed tourniquet devices are routinely tightened over healthy limbs during training with no ill effects, and recent evidence from combat hospitals in Iraq suggests that morbidity rates are low when users adhere to standard best practices. Since no better alternatives exist for users to self-apply with only basic training, the benefit of tourniquet use far outweighs the risks.
  Safe tourniquet practice involves:
caption: Emergency tourniquet being applied in simulated combat. Military devices are designed for rugged environments.
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