Vascular Surgeon Explains How Wounded People Should Use Tourniquets To Avoid Losing Limb

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Rostyslav Sabadosh, a professor and vascular surgeon at the Ivano-Frankivsk Central City Clinical Hospital, in an interview with Ukrinform, in response to a question about the proper use of tourniquets.

"Amputations resulting from improperly applied tourniquets are far from rare. It is important to remember that, to preserve a limb, a tourniquet should not remain in place for more than two hours. If conditions allow, it should be loosened every two hours and then reapplied," the doctor said.

At the same time, he noted that removing a tourniquet after two hours is not recommended if there is still a risk of massive bleeding. In such cases, the professor said, saving a person's life takes priority over saving the limb.

"The most horrific case was one in which a tourniquet led to gangrene and the amputation of an arm that had not been injured. Fellow soldiers applied the tourniquet on the battlefield after seeing that the entire arm was covered in blood. It later turned out that the blood had come from a wound on the soldier's thigh. During the nine hours it took to transport the wounded soldier, no one checked or loosened the tourniquet, and the arm's tissue died completely," the professor said.

He added that military personnel are now given thorough training on the proper use of tourniquets. However, when an injured person is unconscious or has impaired consciousness, they cannot keep track of how long the tourniquet has been in place, while those transporting them may be occupied with more seriously wounded casualties.

Read also: Latvia to receive wounded Ukrainian soldiers for treatment more frequently

As the agency reported, up to 30% of amputations are associated with post-tourniquet syndrome.

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