H&H Medical Corporation introduced a more effective tourniquet technology at Modern Day Marine 2017, a simple rubber strap that’s less painful than military-issue models.
The Swat-T multi-function tourniquet is a length of non-latex rubber that can be securely wrapped around an extremity and is much more effective than the windlass-style tourniquets issued to Marines and soldiers today, according to Joseph Dacorta, vice president of product development at H&H Medical.
The windlass tourniquets use a bar to tighten down the strap and cut-off circulation, but have to be retightened regularly, Dacorta said.
The Swat-T works in “sequential depressions at enough depressive force over a wide enough area to force your artery walls to compress against the bone,” Dacorta said.
“It’s a lot less traumatic,” he said. “We demonstrate the windlass tourniquet, and I rarely will go all the way that you would in a casualty situation because it is so damn painful. With this, you can walk around all day.”
The Swat-T can also be used to secure a splint or as a sling to immobilize broken limbs, Dacorta said.
The Swat-T comes in orange or black and retails for $15.
