When it comes to personal preparedness in today’s world, one of the most highly recommended items that a person should carry is a tourniquet (TQ). Originally designed for use and application in the combat environment, the TQ has evolved to become easily accessible and usable by the average layperson in any situation.
One company that has thought outside the box when it comes to the TQ, is AlphaPointe Tactical, the manufacturer of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT). The TMT was designed with ease of application and reliability in mind during what could potentially be your most stressful and mentally challenging situation.
The TMT was designed for “true one-handed application” unlike many of the tourniquets on the market today, and it fits into the current field TQ carrier, eliminating the need to purchase extra accessories to place into service.
AlphaPointe’s TMT is so effective, that during a comparison study on seven different extremity TQ’s by the Naval Medical Research Unit, the TMT was one of the only TQ’s to have little-to-no blood loss after five minutes of application; and this was done at a lower pressure than others! Even the popular and highly recognized CAT tourniquet (Combat Application Tourniquet) was shown to have 100mL of blood loss after the same period of time!
Below are some of the features of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT):
- True one-handed application for upper & lower extremities
- Co-poly resin acetyl with IR/UV protection
- Weighs 2.9 oz
- TMT’s signature “Audible Click” when securing the torsion bar
- Wider band ( 2”) for occlusion at lower pressure (less force and turns of the torsion bar)
- Easy to separate for two-handed application, with no “tail” to thread through a buckle under stress.
- Dual locking mechanism to prevent slippage or inadvertent release
Author – Tony Kuhn, full-time firefighter/paramedic.