A private, admitted to a field hospital in July 1944, had received a traumatic amputation of the left leg, just below the knee, from a German "Schu" mine six hours before admission. A marked degree of shock was noted, the blood pressure being 86/56 and pulse 116. Examination of the
injury disclosed a persistent trickle of blood escaping from the badly contused stump in spite of two tightly placed strap-and-buckle tourniquets about the thigh. A large, soft-rubber-tube tourniquet was applied about the thigh which controlled the bleeding promptly. Vigorous antishock measures were undertaken in the form of transfusions of blood. At the end of three hours' treatment, having received 2,000 cc. of blood, the patient was still in such poor condition that operation was considered unwise. Ordinarily, this type of patient can be made ready for operation within one to one and one-half hours, and failure to respond usually indicates a gas infection or continued bleeding. Consequently, a further search was made for one of these causes. We were astonished to find that the fresh dressings, applied to the stamp after the initial examination, were saturated with blood, and a pool of blood had collected under the patient's buttocks. The tourniquet, however, seemed adequately applied. Questioning disclosed that the tourniquet had been loosened at one-half hour intervals, and the patient had probably lost as much blood as he had gained. An additional 1,000 cc. of blood, leaving the tourniquet in place, produced the desired effect and the patient underwent a successful reamputation.

- dc official App