What mistakes are commonly made when using a tourniquet to control bleeding?

When using a tourniquet to control bleeding, common mistakes include improper placement, tying too tightly or too loosely, failure to record the application time, repeated tightening without repositioning, and using non-specialized materials as tourniquets. These errors may worsen tissue damage or lead to ineffective hemorrhage control. If limb cyanosis or increased numbness occurs after applying a tourniquet, prompt medical attention is recommended.

1. Improper tourniquet placement: Placing the tourniquet not on the proximal side of the wound near the arterial pulse point—such as positioning it over a joint or far from the injury site—fails to effectively block arterial blood flow, resulting in poor hemostasis and potentially causing nerve compression and pain.

2. Tying too tightly or too loosely: Excessive tightness can completely obstruct limb circulation, leading to ischemic tissue necrosis; if too loose, only venous return is blocked while arterial blood continues to flow out, failing to stop bleeding and possibly worsening local swelling.

3. Failure to record application time: Not documenting when the tourniquet was applied may result in it remaining in place for over an hour without release, causing prolonged limb ischemia, muscle necrosis, nerve damage, and in severe cases, amputation.

4. Repeated tightening: When a tourniquet becomes loose and is retightened at the same site without repositioning, repeated pressure on the same area increases skin and subcutaneous tissue damage and raises the risk of infection.

5. Using non-specialized tourniquet materials: Employing unsuitable items such as electrical wires, metal wires, or thin ropes—which are narrow in diameter and rigid—can excessively compress local tissues, cause skin lacerations and vascular injury, and make proper tension adjustment difficult.

It is important to learn the correct use of specialized tourniquets in advance, keep a standard tourniquet readily available at home, inspect it for integrity before use, and after application, help the injured person maintain limb stability and avoid unnecessary movement to facilitate further medical care.