US Military Adapts Tourniquet Training in Response to Ukraine War Lessons
The US military is revising its tourniquet training protocols for medics in response to lessons learned from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Traditionally, American service members were trained to apply tourniquets to stop life-threatening bleeding and leave their removal to advanced medical personnel. However, the complexities of modern warfare, as seen in Ukraine, have highlighted the dangers of prolonged tourniquet use, which can lead to severe complications such as organ dysfunction or limb loss. In Ukraine, the difficulty of timely casualty evacuation due to contested air control has forced medics to manage injuries for longer periods, necessitating alternative methods to control bleeding. As a result, US Army Special Forces training now includes teaching medics how to safely remove tourniquets, a process known as tourniquet conversion, to prevent further injury. 
