Ordinarily, you wouldn't be taking survival tips from your podiatrist. However, this particular surgical practice might come in handy. Should you ever be in a situation where you or someone else is bleeding profusely from a lower limb, a tourniquet may save a life by preventing excessive blood loss. Here's what our foot and ankle specialists recommend:
- Slide the tourniquet over the limb. Place it 2-3 inches above the wound, between the wound and the heart. If you don't have an official device, a wide strip of fabric, such as a sock, torn t-shirt, tie, handkerchief, or scarf can work. Avoid using wire or thin string, as they might cause tissue damage.
- Pull the tail of the strapping tight. While this may be painful, it's crucial to control the bleeding.
- Twist a handle until blood flow stops. Commercial tourniquets have a device called a windlass to turn, but if you're creating a makeshift handle, a pen, stick, or some other rigid object will work.
- Secure the tourniquet. Do this by tucking in or tying off the end of the strapping.
- Note the time! It's critical that one of our medical professionals be able to remove the tourniquet within the time we noted above to avoid limb loss. Essentially, when the lower extremity is deprived of oxygenated blood for too long, it may never regain its function.
In this article, the American Red Cross provides more detailed instructions on how to apply a tourniquet properly.
