You’ve heard the term “hack” before. It refers to a strategy or technique for managing your time or activities more efficiently. In fact, many companies have missions of creating content like “50 Simple Remodeling Hacks to Completely Transform Your Home” and “45 Kitchen Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner.” While I’m sure you’ve used hacks like those to make your life easier, wouldn’t you agree that these do-it-yourself tips and tricks belong in your home and garden, rather than your medical care? Read on to learn more about risky tourniquet hacks and the impact they could have on your patients.
Disposable tourniquets are an important part of many medical procedures, from lab testing to blood donation. Below are three disposable tourniquet hacks that we’ve encountered over the years. Each of these hacks are associated with known patient safety risks, or at best, can lead to patient discomfort. Fortunately, we’ve worked with healthcare facilities for decades to create safe and effective solutions so that you’ll never need to ”hack” your disposable tourniquets again!
Related: Specialty Tourniquets ease Pressures of Phlebotomy
Hack: Tying Two Adult Tourniquets Together for Bariatric Patients
Caresfield Solution: The standard length of adult tourniquets is 18 inches, but body types vary wildly. Unfortunately, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work in healthcare. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a disposable tourniquet that fits each patient! Instead of tying two tourniquets together, potentially causing physical and emotional discomfort for the patient, use a longer, wider band like our 32 inch long Bariatric Tourniquet to respectfully accommodate your patient.
Hack: Cutting a Tourniquet in Half for Pediatric Patients
Caresfield Solution: A standard disposable tourniquet is often too large for pediatric patients and the most common tourniquet hack in the industry is cutting a tourniquet in half. Consider using a single-use, disposable Pediatric Tourniquet. The band that is slightly narrower at 0.75 inches and only 12 inches long. It’s the perfect size for pediatric patients, from toddlers to school-aged children! Cutting scissors out of this process (pun intended) not only saves time, but also eliminates the risk of introducing bacteria to the tourniquet and subsequently the patient.
Hack: Using Rubber Bands or Gloves for Infant Patients
Caresfield Solution: The most shocking tourniquet hack I’ve heard of is using rubber bands in place of tourniquets for infants. Not only was it hard to hear, but I could tell it was hard for the clinician to share. Beyond the use of rubber bands, I’ve heard from care providers that the fingertip cut from an exam glove also makes a ‘great’ substitute in a pinch. Instead, why not use a tourniquet made with tiny patients in mind, like Caresfield Infant Tourniquets? Not only are these tourniquets soft and ready-made for tiny limbs, but you don’t need to worry about cross-contamination from scissors, potential latex allergies from other materials or the risk of a leave-on accident due to non-tourniquet materials blending in.
Hacks should improve efficiency. Maybe the real hack is using products that do all the work for you! With a specialty size tourniquet for every class of patient, we’ve made your new tourniquet hacks safe, efficient and easy.
Author: Erin Robinson (Territory Development Manager)
