SWAT-T First Aid Tourniquet

May 17, 2022First Aid News0 comments

The SWAT-T™ will treat a variety of injuries, minor to life-threatening. The SWAT-T™ is being carried by Military (Conventional and Special Operations medical and non-medical personnel), EMS, Police Officers, Contractors, and First Aiders. Carried by many as a pressure dressing, all-purpose wrap, primary and/or back-up tourniquet.

The SWAT-T™ was developed by a former Operator/Medic with 14 years experience in Operational Medicine -former USAF Pararescue Journeyman (Para-Jumper or PJ), Contractor DoJ/FBI SWAT Operations, National Registry Paramedic, and Emergency Medicine Physician.

Use as a Primary and/or back-up Tourniquet.
Use as a Pressure Dressing
Use as an All-Purpose Wrap
Ease of application is one of the greatest benefits of the SWAT-T™; individuals can effectively apply it in seconds with little to no prior training. Simply SWAT – Stretch, Wrap, And Tuck.
At approximately a 1/3 of the cost and less weight of other arterial tourniquets, every tactical operator and pre-hospital provider should carry a SWAT-T™.

Use as a Tourniquet

  • When bleeding is severe (arterial) and loss of life is of greatest concern.
  • Stretch for tourniquet-place above the wound (between wound and heart). Wrap tightly, ensuring ovals/rectangles change to circle/squares. And Tuck. (Pre-plan the tuck for best results)
  • In most patients, tourniquets have proven to be safe for a minimum of two hours.
  • When used properly all tourniquets may cause loss of limb. This is a necessary risk, to bring our patients home at the end of the day.

Use as a Pressure Dressing

  • When haemorrhage is controlled or for venous and capillary oozing.
  • Wrap the SWAT-T™ over haemostatic agent or sterile dressing then tuck or tape the end to maintain pressure, preventing further contamination and re-bleeding.
  • If the endpoints are met on the dressing you may have a tourniquet and should check for good blood return in the extremity (pulse and capillary refill), or you risk the complications associated with all tourniquets.
  • Pressure dressings should be left in place until definitive wound management can be accomplished.

Use as an Elastic Bandage

When you need to hold ice near sprains and strains, stabilize a twisted knee/ankle, sling a shoulder, among hundreds of other applications.
The dressing can also be used to loosely apply pressure across the chest or abdomen. This can be to help close and protect wounds, contain abdominal contents in evisceration, or to assist in the stabilization of the pelvis in blunt pelvic trauma.
The SWAT-T™ can be used to splint an extremity to the body, other leg, or to a rigid object for immobilization.

If you attended one of our Outdoor First Aid courses, you will have a chance to practice the use of the SWAT-T.