A tourniquet should remain on the patient's arm for no longer than what duration?

A tourniquet is a medical device used to control bleeding by restricting blood flow to an area. The recommended duration for a tourniquet to remain in place typically should not exceed one minute to minimize the risk of tissue damage and complications such as nerve injury or limb loss. When a tourniquet is applied for longer than this period, particularly beyond one minute, ischemia (lack of blood flow) can start causing irreversible damage to the affected tissues. The one-minute mark serves as a general guideline in emergency medical scenarios, ensuring that while it effectively controls bleeding, it also preserves tissue viability as much as possible.

Longer duration options, such as 2 or 5 minutes, significantly increase the risk of potential harm to the patient's arm. Additionally, while a 30-second duration may seem appropriate, it might not provide enough time to achieve the necessary hemostatic effect in certain situations of severe bleeding. Therefore, the one-minute duration strikes a critical balance between effectively managing hemorrhage and protecting the integrity of the limb.