Tourniquet: Knowledge Of Emergency Nurses In Face Of Its Risks And Benefits

Introduction: The population has experienced an urban martyrdom in traffic due to the growing number of vehicles, which in many cases have not accompanied the development of their respective cities in the social and structural questions. With this, it became routine situations to encounter the Emergency Mobile Assistance Service (SAMU) addressing accident victims, in which some of them lose their lives on public roads in the face of the need to receive treatment for complications arising from the trauma mechanism in very short time. Objective: The study evaluated nurses' knowledge regarding the applicability of the tourniquet, from a risk and benefit perspective. Method: It is an exploratory type research, with quantitative character and approach, it was performed with 30 (thirty) SAMU nurses, who were informed about the objectives of the same. They were included those who provided direct assistance to the population; Of effective positions or contracted in the service; And those with more than 1 year of service at SAMU. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire, previously elaborated, containing objective, subjective and non-inductive questions, which allowed the informant to answer the data pertinent to the study. Results: The study highlighted the predominance of women among the nurses, aged between 31 and 35 years, specialists, with more than 7 years of training, and with time of operation in Pre-hospital Care between 1 and 3 years. It can be observed that they are aware of the definitive treatment related to the types of hemorrhages, as well as the factors that interfere in their severity. They would be able to carry out a hemorrhage, but they were outdated in relation to the applicability of the tourniquet, reporting being the first-choice method for restraining the hemorrhages. Conclusion: Therefore, tourniquets can be used safely for up to 120 to 150 minutes, without significant nerve or muscle damage. Its application is considerable in regard to the preservation of life. Keywords: Prehospital Care. Bleeding. Tourniquet.