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).
Tactical Tourniquet (TMT)
The Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT) looks like a hybrid of the CAT Gen7 and SOF Tourniquet. All fixed parts are made of very soft plastic, but the toggle is very smooth and relatively thin, which makes it difficult to control when tightening – especially in wet conditions. In the case of one test subject, it was not possible to secure the upper limb in the self-locking position due to the excessive deformation of the toggle. The tourniquet must be used double-looped and can accidentally unhook between the plastic fasteners, which leads to the same problems as with the SOF tourniquet can lead to the same problems. In addition to the SWAT-T it has the widest strap, which reduces punctual tissue pressure.
Product: Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT)
Manufacturer: Combat Medical
Price: approx. 30 Euro
Source of supply/manufacturer: combatmedical.com
Test & evaluation*
Haptics & optics: 6
Even OE: 7
Self UE: 7
Foreign OE: 8
Foreign UE: 8
Gloves: 5
Training intensity: 10
Total points: 51
Ranking in the test: 8th 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.
