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Digital tourniquets: a pressure study with clinical relevance
The Journal of Hand Surgery
|November 1, 1986
Summary
Digital tourniquet pressures vary significantly. Rolled rubber gloves provide consistent, safe pressures (<500 mm Hg), unlike Penrose drains and rubber bands, which generate dangerously high and variable pressures, potentially risking neurovascular injury.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Trauma Surgery
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Digital tourniquets are frequently used in hand and finger procedures.
- Commonly employed digital tourniquets include Penrose drains, rolled rubber gloves, and rubber bands.
- The pressures generated by these devices and their clinical implications are not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and compare the pressures exerted by three common digital tourniquets.
- To assess the consistency and safety of pressures generated by each tourniquet type.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a miniature pressure transducer and digital strain indicator.
- Measured pressures generated by Penrose drains, rolled rubber gloves, and rubber bands.
- Evaluated consistency across different clinical experiences.
Main Results:
- Rolled rubber gloves consistently produced pressures below 500 mm Hg.
- Penrose drains and rubber bands generated highly variable pressures significantly exceeding 500 mm Hg.
- A 'calibrated' Penrose drain produced the highest recorded pressures.
Conclusions:
- Rolled rubber gloves offer a safer, more consistent digital tourniquet option.
- Penrose drains and rubber bands can generate excessive and unpredictable pressures.
- Further research is needed to define the relationship between tourniquet pressure and digital neurovascular injury.