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A tourniquet placed around any part of the body is dependent on the force vectors of "radial' compression....fancy term for it works in a circle and if some structure is blocking a force vector like the tibia, the forces become spread around the rest of the circle so the gastrocnemius (posterior muscle) will literally push anteriorly to compress another area.....bottom line, place the tourniquet as close to but above the injured area unless it is right at a joint then the 2-3 inches makes sense since compressing a joint really won't work. Field, E.D. or O.R., it'a all the same.
ss
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'Revel in action, translate perceptions into instant judgements, and these into actions that are irrevocable, monumentous and dreadful - all this with lightning speed, in conditions of great stress and in an environment of high tension:what is expected of "us" is the impossible, yet we deliver just that.
(adapted from: Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, surgeon and author: The Wisdom of the Body, 1997 )
Education is the anti-ignorance we all need to better treat our patients. ss, 2008.
The blade is so sharp that the incision is perfect. They don't realize they've been cut until they're out of the fight: A Surgeon Warrior. I use a knife to defend life and to save it. ss (aka traumadoc)
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