Originally Posted By: Arney
Seems like amputations and near amputations would be a no-brainer for tourniquets. It's those other situations, like cutting an artery, where I can still see controversy. You'd hate to see someone lose a limb from tourniquet use when other measures could have stopped the bleeding and still saved the limb.


I am not a medical professional and never have been. I've also never served in the military.

With that said, one of my instructors had been a combat medic and a civilian paramedic. He taught us that purpose-made tourniquets (like the SWAT-T or CAT) had to be on for quite a while before endangering the limb. Field-expedient tourniquets made with a wide belt were similarly unlikely to cause that sort of problem. Using cordage or other material that doesn't spread the pressure over a larger area can, however, cause nerve damage.