ISR Study on the Combat Application Tourniquet®
United States Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) Battlefield Tourniquet Recommendations - Issued July 28, 2004
Background:
Nine battlefield tourniquets systems were offered for testing to the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research via a request for products. These included 7 commercially available systems and 2 prototype systems. Eighteen human subjects were used to test the effectiveness of each device in accordance with an IRB approved protocol. Success was based on ability to occlude arterial blood flow in the proximal thigh (elimination of Doppler pulse in the posterior tibial artery). Additionally, the subjects rated each tourniquet for pain using a visual analog pain scale.
Results:
The Combat Application Tourniquet® (C-A-T®) was effective 100% of the time in quickly and effectively occluding arterial blood flow in both the upper and lower extremities in all trials.
Pain scores (pinching and circumferential) were dramatically lower with the C-A-T® than any other strap-style device evaluated.
"[Based on the Institute of Surgical Research test results] ... it is recommended that the C-A-T® be issued to each individual soldier in the United States Army.
Reference: "Testing of Battlefield Tourniquets" by Dr. Thomas Walters, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, presented at Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care 2004 (ATACCC) Conference, published in the Conference Proceedings, Aug 16-18 2004, St. Petersburg, FL. http://www.usaccc.org/ataccc/index.jsp
