Use of a Tourniquet by LIFE STAR Air Medical Crew: A Case Report

For many years tourniquets were perceived as dangerous due to the belief that they led to loss of limb because of ischemia. Their use in civilian and military environments was discouraged. Emergency medical responders were not taught about tourniquets and commercial tourniquets were not available. However, research by the United States military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has demonstrated that tourniquets are safe life-saving devices. As a consequence, they have been widely deployed in combat situations and there are now calls for the use of tourniquets in the civilian prehospital setting. This article presents a report of the successful application of a tourniquet by the LIFE STAR crew to control bleeding that local emergency medical services (EMS) personnel could not control with direct pressure. Tourniquets should be readily available in public places and carried by all EMS.