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B L O O D L E S S
F I E L D S
OPTIMAL AMOUNT The best tourniquet systems are designed to use the minimum pressure needed to stop blood flow, thereby reducing the risk of injury.
4 Keys to Safe Tourniquet Use
Bad things happen when you squeeze too tightly.
Jim McEwen, PhD | Vancouver, Canada
Pneumatic tourniquets provide orthopedic surgeons with a bloodless field, but the
devices can cause a host of pressure-related complications, such as skin breakdown, nerve injuries, intraoperative bleeding, toxic reactions, thrombosis, digital necrosis and pronounced and sometimes prolonged post-op swelling. When it comes to tourniquet safety, less is more: The less pressure you can apply, the better.
1. Achieve optimal pressure
Optimal pressure depends on several variables, including a patient's age and blood pressure and the shape and size of the extremity in question. But your goal should be to achieve optimal limb occlusion pressure (LOP), defined as the minimum pressure needed to stop the flow of arterial blood into
