Comparison of the effectiveness of CAT and SOFTT tourniquets – a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Armed conflicts around the world have been going on for centuries, with many casualties. The main cause of pre-hospital cardiac arrest in combat settings are external hemorrhages, which is why rapid response skills and appropriate equipment are so important. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) and Special Operations Forces Tactical Tourniquet (SOFTT) tourniquets using human unfixed preparations under simulated bleeding conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty active-duty soldiers of the Polish Army were included in the study. The study was divided into 4 stages. In the first stage, a short training session was conducted for the subjects on how to stop external hemorrhages using CAT and SOFTT tourniquets, and additionally, they filled out prepared questionnaires. The second stage involved a qualitative evaluation of participants' practical skills in applying CAT and SOFTT tourniquets under low-fidelity conditions. During the third stage, randomization was performed with a division into two subgroups and a test using human cadavers. Two examiners measured the timing of tourniquet application. In stage four, the subjects took a final survey to assess their level of satisfaction. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 14 women (50%) and 14 men (50%). The group was divided into two subgroups. Group A applied the CAT tourniquet in a mean time of 38.13 seconds (SD ± 11.19), while B applied the SOFTT tourniquet in a mean time of 29.31 seconds (SD ± 7,18). Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the achieved time of tourniquet fitting (Mann-Whitney test=54.5; p=0.049). A number of analyses were conducted using Pearson's r – correlation, showing no significant correlations in any of the groups between the score obtained and age (pA=0.426; pB=0.486), marital status (pA=0.145; pB=0.932), place of residence (pA=0.168; pB=0.534), education (pA=0.523; pB=0.935), or military rank held (pA=0.225; pB=0.252). CONCLUSIONS: SOFTT-type tourniquet is more effective in application than CAT-type tourniquet. Cadavers – human unfixed preparations – are a great tool for educating soldiers on stopping life-threatening hemorrhages under simulation conditions.