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O R T H O P E D I C S
Cuff considerations
You need the proper cuff selection and applications to be able to safely
use tourniquets. Along with properly fitting the surgical limb, cuffs have
to provide adequate surgical exposure. Be sure the system you're considering provides cuffs that fit the patient population they're intended
for. Manufacturers offer cuffs in various sizes and shapes that are
designed to fit a wide range of patient limbs — from the smallest pediatrics to large bariatric patients. Some manufacturers also provide
matching limb protection sleeves to be used between the cuff and the
limb, which can help prevent damage to the skin beneath the cuff.
2 tubes or 1, 1 cuff or 2?
Tourniquet instruments and cuffs are commonly available in dual-port
(2 tubes per cuff) or single-port (1 tube per cuff) configurations. Dualport instruments and their corresponding cuffs have 2 separate tubing
connections between the instrument and each attached cuff. One connection is used to regulate the air pressure in the cuff and the other is
used to monitor the pressure in the cuff. Generally speaking, dual-port
instruments and cuffs provide the most accurate and reliable indication of pressure within the cuff. That's an especially important consideration when you're using the tourniquet cuff to measure limb occlusion pressure.
Single-port instruments and their corresponding cuffs have a single
tube that connects the instrument to the cuff. The connection is used
to both regulate and monitor pressure. Single-port instruments and
cuffs usually cost less than dual-port instruments. Either way, never
use adaptors to connect single-port cuffs to dual-port instruments or
to connect dual-port cuffs to single-port instruments.
Tourniquet instruments are available in single- and dual-channel
configurations. Dual-channel instruments control the pressure in 2
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