When someone is badly injured, a soft tourniquet may stop the bleeding and save their life. It's incredibly important to know how to use a tourniquet properly, so you can help someone in an emergency.
If someone is bleeding a lot from a large cut or injury, you need to act fast. A tourniquet is basically a cool band you can wrap around their arm or leg to stop the bleeding. If you don’t apply the tourniquet properly, it can be ineffective, and the person might continue to bleed. Which is where knowing how to properly use a tourniquet becomes crucial.
A SOF tourniquet is a unique type of tourniquet which is soft while convenient to apply. If somebody is bleeding profusely, you can use an SOF tourniquet to help stop the bleeding until they can receive medical attention. To apply a SOF tourniquet, snugly apply around the individual’s arm or leg, above the location of the wound. Then turn the rod on the tourniquet until the bleeding ceases. Assist the person if necessary while waiting for help do not remove tourniquet.
There are many types of tourniquets, but not all tourniquets work the same. Some are constructed of stiff plastic or metal whereas others are composed of a softer material, such as the SOF tourniquet. It’s good to know the difference so that you can choose the correct one for your situation. There are advantages to a soft tourniquet — such as the SOF tourniquet — too, especially in an emergency since the tourniquet can be quickly and easily put on.
Applying a tourniquet can save a person’s life by cutting off severe bleeding, but the procedure has some risks. A tourniquet left too long can cut off blood flow to the arm or leg as well as cause more damage. That’s why a tourniquet should only be applied in a life-threatening scenario, and it should be removed immediately when help arrives. The lifesaving application of tourniquets far outweighs the risks, but it’s important to use them properly to avert problems.
There are plenty of stories about tourniquets saving lives in emergencies. One tale is of a boy who fell off his bike and ripped his leg badly. His friend applied a tourniquet to the wound until help arrived, and the boy ultimately received the medical care he needed. In one tale, woods hikers who became lost cut a man’s arm on a tree branch. He had used a tourniquet and stopped the bleeding, and was able to call for help before it was too late. These stories illustrate why it can be crucial to know how to use a tourniquet during an emergency.