Self Defense Medicine Session 5: Tourniquets: Leg Application

So now let's talk about self-application of a tourniquet on the legs. I've got the SOFTT wide here. It's already prepped and ready to go. And there's two ways I can do this. I can either, one, since I've got the loop already made, I can either loop it around the foot and shimmy it up the leg.

That's one option. But the preferred option, and the one option that I prefer and like, is actual undo the buckle and make sure, like I said earlier, that buckle lays flat to undo and to reattach. I'll undo the buckle, go underneath the natural curvature of the knee and shimmy it up. Again, just like the arm. I want to go up as high as I possibly can, but never on a joint.

I want to bring this up, if I can loosen that up I can. Take up as much as a slack as I possibly can. And that's one positive or pro about being able to use both hands. Okay. One, I can take up a lot more slack, more easier.

Two, I can use both hands to turn the windlass because this is a lot more muscle tissue than say on my arm. So it may take both hands actually to turn that. And I'm going to turn this until the bleeding is either controlled or is stopped. I'm going to anchor it into the device. If you notice, I've actually got this, the windlass, towards the inside of my groin area.

Okay. And if I'm applying this on someone else, which we'll talk about in a minute, I want it inside the armpit. But on the self-applying this to my legs, I want to get that windlass on the inside of the groin. Simple reason why is, if I, once I apply this, if the ambulance crews or somebody else has to move me and assist me to move me, at least the windlass isn't on the outside of my leg getting snagged on a doorframe or a car door or anything or people walking by or anything like that. It's a little bit more protected in here and more midline in my body.

Again, once I've anchored it, control the bleeding, I'm going to take the timestamp and I'm going to place what time I applied the tourniquet. Now, if I'm going to apply the combat application tourniquet or the cat tourniquet to the leg, remember I prepared it for one handed application. So I only went through that first loop, over that first slot, but for two handed, again, I can either shimmy it up through the loop of the leg or the easiest thing to do is to undo it completely, go underneath the natural curvature of the knee. I go through the bottom, the first slot, but then also on the five, since the thighs a little bit larger than the arm, I've got to go back through and actually apply or put it through that top slot and then cinch down and take up as much as a slack as I possibly can. Again, making sure the windlass is in this in the inside of the groin, turn it until the bleeding is controllable or stops, and anchor it in the side, apply the safety mechanism, and be sure you put the time of when you applied it.

So, notice both tourniquets are up as high as possible and I didn't hesitate to put 'em on. And I took me hopefully under 12 seconds to apply these, but they're up as high as I can, never on a joint.