Page 45 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2015

Figure 3 Occlusion Pressures of all four tourniquets. Of Figure 5 (A) Completion Pressures of all four tourniquets. (B)
the 3.8cm-wide tourniquets, the RMT-P had the lowest Change in pressure from Occlusion to Completion. Negative
Occlusion Pressures. The 10.4cm-wide SWATT had the values indicate decreases in pressure. The RMT-P had the
lowest Occlusion Pressures of all of the tourniquets. most consistent increases from Occlusion to Completion.

(A)

Figure 4 Occlusion Pressures versus the ratio of limb
circumference divided by tourniquet width. The linear
regression best fit slopes ± standard errors, best fit intercepts (B)
± standard errors, and goodness of fit r values for each
2
tourniquet are as follows: CAT: 18.55 ± 9.63, 187.1 ± 82.2,
r = 0.11; SOFTT-W: 15.05 ± 7.37, 226.2 ± 62.5, r = 0.12;
2
2
RMT-P: 16.56 ± 3.84, 128.3 ± 32.6, r = 0.38; and SWATT:
2
24.31 ± 10.40, 122.6 ± 32.4, r = 0.15.
2

The pressure changes from Occlusion to Completion
are shown in Figure 5B. The amount of change from
Occlusion to Completion is affected by the tightening
system. The increase from Occlusion to Completion resulted in more variation in the Occlusion to Comple-
was always a single tooth advance for the RMT-P, but tion pressure changes with the CAT, SOFTT-W, and
the degrees of windlass turn to reach Completion varied SWATT than occurred with the RMT-P (p < 0.05 for
across 180° for the CAT and the SOFTT-W. For the each on calves and on forearms).
SWATT, the remaining length of the elastic strap need-
ing to be wrapped and secured going from Occlusion In addition to differences between the tourniquets, limb
to Completion was also more variable than the single sizes influenced the pressure changes from Occlusion
tooth advance of the RMT-P. These windlass and elastic to Completion. With the CAT and RMT-P, the change
wrap differences from the ratcheting tightening system from Occlusion to Completion was slightly less on the

Emergency Tourniquets on Distal Limb Segments 33