The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Even in everyday injuries, people most often die not from the wounds themselves, but from uncontrolled bleeding — even before medics arrive. In modern wartime conditions, a tourniquet becomes a basic life-saving tool not only for the military, but also for civilians.
This was stated on air of Suspilne News by Oleksandr Svyryn, Staff Sergeant (2nd category) of the Monitoring and Analytics Department of Medical Support of the Military Medical Directorate.
When a tourniquet is really needed
According to Oleksandr Svyryn, a tourniquet should be applied primarily in cases of critical bleeding, when there is a risk of rapid loss of a large volume of blood. The most dangerous is arterial bleeding, but massive venous bleeding can also be fatal within a short period of time.
“A person can ‘bleed out’ in 2–3 minutes — even in a place where an ambulance is formally supposed to arrive quickly”, — he emphasized.
That is why a tourniquet should be included in individual and vehicle first-aid kits — specifically a tourniquet, not an outdated rubber band.
Where a tourniquet can be used
A tourniquet is structurally designed for use on limbs. Proper understanding of how it works significantly reduces the risk of fatal consequences in case of injury.
At the same time, the specialist stresses that in a stressful situation — for example, after shrapnel injuries during shelling — people are often unable to quickly assess the type of bleeding. That is why basic training is critically important.
The main mistake — lack of training
Having a tourniquet without the skill to use it does not guarantee saving a life.
“Showing it on television is not enough. This skill requires fine motor skills and muscle memory. Under stress, a person will remember only what they have practiced many times”, — the staff sergeant explained.
For this purpose, it is recommended to:
- train regularly;
- use a training tourniquet;
- practice the algorithm on yourself.
Quality matters
Oleksandr Svyryn separately emphasized the quality of equipment: the tourniquet must be certified and reliable, because at a critical moment it must not fail.
