First Aid Friday

Tourniquets-
By Pudge

The other day I did some informal tourniquet testing and wanted to share my findings. (If I practice making holes in someone I should be ready to stop those holes from bleeding too.) One of my medics (these guys are extremely well trained and who I want working on me in a bad situation) and I did some comparison testing between CAT, SOF-T, and RATS tourniquets. We conducted the following timed tests: self-application on arm, partner application on leg, and application with surgical lubricant. (The surgical lube was used to replicate blood. The lube was more slippery than large amounts of blood.)

Test results in seconds listed in the chart below. Times are averages between myself and my medic's application times.

	Self-application on arm	Buddy application on leg
CAT	20.05	17.955
SOF-T	53.225	17.49
RATS	19.725	22.705

Below are some pros and cons that we found for each type of tourniquet.

CAT-
Pros- easiest to apply both 1 and 2 handed

Cons- if dirt/debris gets in the velcro it can slip, easiest to accidentally catch the strap during movement and release tension

SOF-T-
Pros- you don't lose the initial bite if it slips, best option for long movements of casualty, once locked in it is the most secure, and it is the most durable because of the metal windlass

Cons- hardest to employ one handed due to the windlass holder (this is also what makes it the most secure) This is why the self-application time is much higher than the others. The blood had stopped flowing much sooner but it took considerable extra time to get the windlass locked in place.

RATS-
Pros- quick application, great for small children and animals (the other tourniquets don't allow you to tighten as far on small limbs) This is the main reason I would recommend a couple of RATS tourniquets for anyone with children or animals. It is also very low profile in comparison and is a good option for your everyday carry kit. For adults one of the other 2 are probably better options but the RATS is still very much usable.

Cons- if it slips you have to start all over with wrapping it and it is the hardest to use when slippery (harder to hang on to when soaked in blood but can still be used)

RATs applied on leg as medic checks to make sure blood flow is stopped.

I am continuing to test all of these tourniquets and will post updates when I am able to conduct more formal testing. Each one has its benefits as well as negatives so it is up to each person to decide which fits their application best.