The pathophysiology of the arterial tourniquet: a review

Abstract

Arterial tourniquets are widely used in limb surgery to reduce intra-operative bleeding, thereby providing for better operative conditions. There are, however, a number of consequences, both localised and systemic, related to tourniquet use. While these may be relatively benign in the healthy patient, they may be devastating in the patient with, for example, poor cardiac reserve (1, 2, 3).