Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomised controlled trial comparing marksmanship following application of a tourniquet or haemostatic clamp in healthy volunteers.
In a care under fire situation, a first line response to haemorrhage is to apply a tourniquet and return fire. However, there is little understanding of how tourniquets and other haemorrhage control devices impact marksmanship. ⋯ Application of a tourniquet to the dominant arm negates effective return of fire in a care under fire setting after a brief time window. Haemorrhage control devices that preserve function may have a role in care under fire situations, as preserving effectiveness in returning fire has obvious operational merits.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An evaluation of combat application tourniquets on training military personnel: changes in application times and success rates in three successive phases.
Haemorrhage from the injured extremity is a significant cause of preventable death in military settings. This study evaluated the effect of training on the efficacy of the combat application tourniquet (CAT) and to define standards for military personnel. ⋯ The results show that the efficacy of CAT application increases with training. Further studies are required to investigate the reasons underlying application failures. This single group prospective randomised study involves level of evidence 4.