'Cult’ of tourniquets causing thousands of unnecessary amputations and deaths in Ukraine, say surgeons

[fwafwow]

I’m not against carrying a TQ. My kid gave me a nice one of these ready made TQs they make now and I threw it in my pack. Even though they are incredibly easy to improvise in just about any situation, the weight penalty for the one I was given is next to nothing.
I was referring to the completely unnecessary application of TQs we see in video after video.

I totally understand and agree. As for improvised TQs, it’s better to know how to make one than not, but locking them in place can be tough and another benefit to offset the weight and bulk trade offs.

 

[Blurry1]

Circling back to the point of the article and post. If you are carrying a tourniquet do you know not just how but when to apply it? Do you understand direct pressure, elevation and pressure points? I see a lot of blood in my work life and rarely if ever apply a tourniquet. I guess my point is if you don’t you may benefit from taking a short course on wilderness medicine rather than letting YouTube tell you what to do.

As I write this it occurs to me probably half the people carrying a tourniquet haven’t updated their CPR in 15 years if ever. What’s the chance of a choking emergency or MI vs a life threatening arterial bleed.