A tourniquet should be placed 3 inches below the wound.

• A. Not appropriate
• B. True
• C. Depends on location
• D. Always 3 inches below is recommended

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is to stop blood flow to the wound by placing the tourniquet between the wound and the heart. That means the device must be proximal to the injury, not distal to it. Putting a tourniquet below the wound (away from the heart) would leave arterial blood still reaching the wound, so it wouldn’t be effective at controlling bleeding. So stating that it should be placed three inches below the wound is not appropriate. In practice, apply the tourniquet a couple of inches above the wound (proximal to it) on the limb, and avoid placing it directly over a joint if possible. If you can’t place it above due to the location, put it as close to the wound as feasible but still between the wound and the heart. The key is proximal placement to effectively control hemorrhage.