Read more about the history and use of combat/emergency tourniquet.
The most recent war in Iraq was associated with a large number of injuries to soldiers. Dr. John Krahg and his associates from the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, TX diligently followed the outcome of the use of hundreds of tourniquets on hundreds of limbs. The abstracts from their published studies are copied herewith.
The clear conclusion is that the use of the tourniquet in combat limb injuries is safe and effective. Most tourniquets did not stay on the limb for more than 2 hours, but some did. Nevertheless, no limbs were lost because of tourniquet use. This recent experience with devices that apply sufficient pressure to occlude arterial flow into the limb is highly relevant to the use of the HemaShock®