Safe Use of Pneumatic Tourniquet Cuffs

Pneumatic tourniquet systems are used to compress the patient's blood vessels during a surgical procedure, which helps to ensure a bloodless operative field. But their effectiveness can be compromised if the tourniquet cuffs become crinkled, folded or bent. This can cause insufficient or inconsistent pressure, resulting in poor control of blood flow to the affected area.

Here are several precautions you can take to prevent this from happening:

• Be sure to select a cuff that will overlap between 3-6 inches when used on the patient. Too much overlap causes increased pressure and wrinkling of the underlying soft tissues.

• Before applying the cuff to the patient, inspect it for rips or holes, and be sure that the tubing connecting the cuff to the system is not kinked or occluded.

• When applying the cuff, be sure it is smooth because wrinkles or tunneling in the cuff could damage the underlying skin and soft tissue. If the manufacturer's instructions suggest it, use a soft, wrinkle-free padding between the cuff and the skin for added protection.

• If the patient experiences uncontrolled bleeding at the site, increasing the pressure may not be effective if the cuff is not allowing the pressure to be applied properly. Before increasing the pressure, check the cuff to be sure that it is inflated properly, is not damaged, and does not have wrinkles or crinkling.

• If the location or position of the cuff needs to be adjusted, remove the cuff and reapply it. Never pull the cuff up or down while it is on the limb.

FDA Patient Safety News: February 2008

For more information, please see our website:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/psn/transcript.cfm?show=72#2

Category:

Education

Tags:

• compression
• bleeding
• medical
• error

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How to use pneumatic tourniquet