Abstract:
A tourniquet is provided which is specifically structured to be easily and quickly applied to an extremity of a body and to be securely positioned in place on the extremity, the tourniquet being particularly structured for self-use by a wounded person under the stressful conditions of the battlefield and being structured to be used single-handedly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/675,032 filed Apr. 26, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates to a tourniquet for restricting blood flow to the extremities of the body in the emergency pre-hospital environment of tactical combat. In particular, the present invention relates to a tourniquet that is structured for improved application in battlefield conditions to restrict blood flow to effected extremities and to remain in place in a secure fashion under the stressful conditions of combat.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Historically, hemorrhage has been the leading cause of death on the battlefield. Thus, tourniquets have been in use since the seventeenth century in battlefield conditions to manage blood loss resulting from severe wounds. The use of a tourniquet to manage life-threatening hemorrhaging in extremities has been essential.  
         [0006]     A tourniquet is basically a compression device which is placed about a bodily extremity, such as an arm or a leg, to cut off the flow of blood to a part of the body. A tourniquet can be made from a variety of materials and/or objects, but most typically comprises a ligature of fabric or leather that encircles a limb. The ligature is structured for tightening about the limb to provide compression of the vascular system in that limb.  
         [0007]     While the many types of tourniquets that have been developed are each useful for the intended purpose, they have certain limitations of use which do not render them suitable for use under battlefield conditions. Known tourniquet devices, for example, tend to be structurally complicated making it necessary for only skilled medical workers to apply them. Also, some known tourniquet devices have complicated apparatus for providing compression, such as inflatable portions, and such devices become very difficult to apply and inflate to provide the necessary compression.  
         [0008]     It is particularly desirable in battlefield conditions for a tourniquet to be easily and quickly applied to a wounded extremity. Moreover, it would be desirable for a tourniquet to be usable by the injured person to prevent exsanguination before more extensive or professional medical care can be administered. It would also be important for such a tourniquet device to be structured to stay securely in place while the casualty victim is moved to cover for further treatment. Prior art devices tend to be difficult to handle or use, and are typically not manipulable single-handedly by the victim to address his own hemorrhaging condition under the stress of the battlefield.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     In accordance with the present invention, a tourniquet is provided which is specifically structured to be easily and quickly applied to an extremity of a body and to be securely positioned in place on the extremity. The tourniquet of the present invention is particularly structured for self-use by a wounded person, and is structured to be used single-handedly.  
         [0010]     The tourniquet of the present invention generally comprises a band sized in length to encircle an extremity of the body (e.g., an arm or leg). The band is further structured with apparatus for securely positioning the band about the extremity. The apparatus for securing the band is structured to be manipulable with a single hand to facilitate application of the invention by a wounded person to himself in battlefield conditions.  
         [0011]     The tourniquet of the present invention further includes apparatus for providing further compression of the tourniquet against the extremity to selectively increase the amount of pressure exerted on the vascular system in the extremity. The apparatus for selectively increasing compression is also structured to be usable and manipulable single-handedly, and is structured with a securement device for securing the apparatus in place once a desired amount of additional compression is achieved.  
         [0012]     The tourniquet of the present invention may be structured for use on both humans and animals, but is described herein with respect to its use on humans in battlefield conditions. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     In the drawings, which currently illustrate the best mode for carrying out the invention:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of the tourniquet of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an apparatus for selectively providing additional compression;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  depicts the upper arm of a person and illustrates the placement of the tourniquet of the present invention on an arm; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  depicts the leg of a person and illustrates the placement of the tourniquet of the present invention on a leg. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates the tourniquet  10  of the present invention which generally comprises a band  12  of material sized in length to encircle an extremity of a body, such as an arm or a leg. The band  12  is made of any suitable material that provides sufficient flexibility to apply the band  12  about an extremity and to provide sufficient compression to the extremity when positioned in place. The band  12 , therefore, may optimally be made of a material that has very little or no longitudinal elasticity, although some longitudinal elasticity may be suitable.  
         [0019]     The tourniquet  10  of the invention is also provided with apparatus  14  for securing the tourniquet  10  in position about an extremity. The apparatus  14  may be any suitable device or element, but is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , by way of example only, as a conventional buckle  16  that is secured to a first end  18  of the band  12  by appropriate means, such as stitching  20 . Other forms or means of attaching the buckle  16  to the first end  18  of the band  12  may be equally suitable.  
         [0020]     The opening  22  of the buckle  16  is sized to receive the second end  24  of the band  12  therethrough, and a plurality of eyelets  26  are formed along the length of the band  12  for positioning of the buckle tongue  28  through the eyelets. The plurality of eyelets  26  enables the tourniquet  10  to be applied and secured to extremities of various circumference.  
         [0021]     The tourniquet  10  of the present invention is further provided with apparatus for selectively increasing the degree of compression exerted on the extremity by the tourniquet  10  after the band  12  has been appropriately applied to the extremity. That is, once the band  12  has been applied to an extremity and tightened to a desired degree of compression, it may be desirable or necessary to apply a further incremental increase in compression to the extremity to stop blood flow through the vascular system in the extremity. Accordingly, the apparatus  30  for selectively increasing the degree of compression is configured to provide an incremental amount of increased compression that is not achievable by simply tightening the band  12  through movement of the tongue  28  of the buckle  16  to the next eyelet  26 .  
         [0022]     One exemplar apparatus  30  for selectively increasing the degree of compression is shown in  FIG. 2  and comprises a rod or dowel  32  having at each end thereof a cord  34 ,  34 ′ attached to the dowel  32 . A securement device, such as a hook  36 ,  36 ′ is attached to each of the cords  34 ,  34 ′ and provides means for securing the dowel  32  in place once a desired amount of incremental increase in compression is achieved.  
         [0023]     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the tourniquet  10  is structured to accommodate the dowel  32  for providing incremental compression to the extremity. That is, the band  12  is structured with at least one loop  40  (here shown having a plurality of loops  40 ) which extends upwardly from the band  12 , as best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The loop  40  may, for example, be formed by securement of a strip of material  42  to the band  12  by such means as stitching  44 .  
         [0024]     As best seen in  FIG. 3 , where the tourniquet  10  is shown attached to an upper arm, the loops  40  of the tourniquet  10  are sized to receive the dowel  32  therethrough. Once the dowel  32  is positioned in an upwardly extending loop  40 , the dowel  32  is then twisted to apply increased tension on the band  12  and thereby incrementally increase the amount of compression applied to the extremity. Once a selected amount of increased compression is achieved, the position of the dowel  32  in the loop  40  is maintained by securing the hooks  36 ,  36 ′ associated with the dowel  32  to one of a plurality of side loops  46  that are positioned along the outer margins  48 ,  50  of the band  12 , as further shown in  FIG. 1 . The hooks  36 ,  36 ′, each attached to one of the side loops  46 , will be positioned generally at 180° from each other to thereby keep the dowel  32  in its selected twisted position.  
         [0025]     The tourniquet  10  of the present invention may further include a second band or strap  52  to which the band  12  is attached by any suitable means, such as stitching  54 . The strap  52  may, most suitably, be wider than the band  12  and, as such, provides increased surface area for effecting compression of the extremity. The strap  52  may be sized in length to encircle all or a portion of the extremity. If the tourniquet  10  is structured with a strap  52 , it is preferred that the tourniquet  10  be positioned on the extremity so that the strap  52  is positioned over the vascular structure that requires compression to stop the bleeding (i.e., over the major artery if the wound is arterial or over the major vein if the wound is venous) so that the optimal amount of compression can be achieved.  
         [0026]     It may be seen that the tourniquet  10  of the present invention is simply constructed to facilitate quick and easy application of the tourniquet to a wounded extremity. It is also seen that the tourniquet of the present invention is easily manipulable with one hand and can be applied by the user to his own body in the battlefield. The compact construction enables the tourniquet to be easily stored about a soldier&#39;s person or personal effects in the battlefield, thereby increasing a soldier&#39;s ability to provide immediate care to himself or to others until professional or more extensive medical aid can be provided.  
         [0027]     The tourniquet of the present invention can be constructed in any number of ways to provide an easily used device with selectively adjustable incremental compression. Hence, reference herein to specific structures or functions of the invention are by way of example, and not by way of limitation.