Regardless of the mechanism of injury, haemorrhage is the leading cause of death following trauma. Injury – induced haemorrhage accounts for the largest proportion of mortality within the first hour of trauma care. It claims more lives than any other injury – induced pathology within the first 48 hours of care. Following numerous large military campaigns, it is now widely accepted that the rapid application of a tourniquet to a limb for uncontrolled arterial haemorrhaging can dramatically influence the outcome.
