Project ID: TECH2026-20

Background

Approximately 4 million people worldwide die each year from traumatic injuries, with an estimated 30-40% caused by hemorrhage. A significant portion of hemorrhage-related deaths involve extremity bleeding. A tourniquet is a device designed to apply firm, circumferential pressure around a limb. Its purpose is to temporarily stop blood flow to and from the area distal to where it is placed. Tourniquets assist with severe bleeding by compressing major arteries in the arm or leg, which halts blood loss when direct pressure is not enough, buying time until definitive medical care can trat the underlying injury, and preventing shock by reducing the amount of blood lost during life-threatening extremity hemorrhage.

Conventional tourniquets utilize a twist bar or ratcheting mechanism to stop blood loss. These tourniquets require a certain level of strength to operate the twist bar or ratcheting mechanism, can have a lengthy application time, and can require prior training and experience in order to be applied correctly.

Accordingly, there is still a need for new and improved tourniquets.

Description

Engineers at the University of Toledo have developed rapidly self-inflating tourniquet. The patent-backed tourniquet is designed to support faster, more consistent application in high-stress, one-rescuer scenarios.

Applications

• Rapidly tighten extremities after injury.

Advantages

• Tourniquet device uses nitrogen gas to tighten the tourniquet via air pressure, which eliminates a user strength requirement.
• Average application time to fully inflate tourniquet is less than 10 second compared to an average of 45-60 seconds for traditional tourniquets.
• Uses Sodium Azide-based chemical reaction to rapidly inflate like in automotive airbags.
• Quick, one-handed applications, 4 second blood hemorrhage arrest average, only requires 1 button press

IP Status:            Patent Pending

Keywords:          Inflatable, Tourniquet, Hemorrhage, Arrest