Tourniquets are a hot topic again: they save lives in traffic accidents, on the mountain or in military conflicts – if you know how to use them and make the right choice. In order to get an orientation on the market, we had three experts from Critical Knowledge test common “TQs” for Ranger Magazine (made by Militär Aktuell) for their practicality (-> To the large test overview).
SAM XT Tourniquet
The Extremity Tourniquet SAM XT is similar to the CAT Gen7 but more robust materials are used: The toggle is made of metal and riveted to the drawstring and a locking buckle similar to the SAM Pelvic Sling is installed. This component locks into place from a certain tensile strength, so that locked claws hold the drawstring in place even if the Velcro is loosened, for example during a grinding or recovery phase. However, the opening of the locked fastener requires a little training for self-installation. Otherwise, the locking mechanism worked perfectly and never jammed. Another disadvantage worth mentioning is that this product can pull in the most skin of all those tested, resulting in unnecessary pain and bruising.
Product: SAM XT Tourniquet
Manufacturer: SAM Medical
Price: approx. 45 Euro
Source of supply/manufacturer: sammedical.com
Test & evaluation*
Haptics & optics: 12
Even OE: 10
Even UE: 12
Foreign OE: 12
Foreign UE: 12
Gloves: 10
Training intensity: 10
Total points: 78
Ranking in the test: 4th place
*Self OE: self application upper extremities, self UE = self application lower extremities, external OE = external application upper extremities, external UE = external application lower extremities, gloves = application with gloves, training intensity = can the tourniquet be used without much practice? 15 points were achievable in each test category = a total of 105 points could be scored
This review first appeared in Ranger Magazine #2 (available here as an e-paper).
Click here for the overview article of the big Tourniquet test.
