Saving Lives · Saving Limbs
Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of potentially survivable death on the battlefield.1 Recent conflicts have brought longer evacuation times and longer periods of tourniquet use.2 The AST program is an Australian effort to design and test a tourniquet for these conditions, with Australian manufacture as the goal.
AST · Prototype
Pre-production prototype · Not for sale or supply
Each question below pairs a published finding with a design feature we are testing. These are the questions our testing program is designed to answer — they are not claims about the device.
In a manikin study of non-medical users, the most common reason tourniquet application failed was excess slack in the strap.3
Feature · The windlass is intended to take up strap slack on the first rotation.
Can this reduce loose application by less-trained users?
Research has reported that applied pressure can fall in the minutes after a tourniquet is tightened.4
Feature · A fixed-pivot windlass, indexed locking detents and a secondary sliding lock.
Can applied pressure be kept more consistent over extended use?
Studies have reported completion pressures well above what is needed to occlude arterial flow.5
Feature · Locking at 45° increments in place of a half-turn locking arc.
Can finer indexing make tightening more consistent between users?
Partner with us to take an Australian tourniquet through independent evaluation, ARTG application and CoTCCC submission.