Placement of a deliberate tourniquet is described as being placed...

• A. 2-3 inches above wound
• B. On the skin
• C. Below the wound
• D. Directly over bone

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is stopping arterial blood flow to the injury by placing the tourniquet proximal to the wound. By positioning the device about two to three inches above the wound, you compress the artery before it reaches the injury, effectively halting the bleeding distal to the wound while the wound is protected from ongoing arterial inflow. If you place the tourniquet right on the wound or distal to it, arterial inflow to the bleeding site may continue, and bleeding won’t be controlled reliably. The exact spot over bone isn’t the defining factor; what matters is being upstream of the injury on relatively non-injured tissue so the system can be shut down effectively. So, two to three inches above the wound reliably achieves proximal arterial occlusion and controls life-threatening bleeding.