When should you stop tightening a tourniquet?

The appropriate moment to stop tightening a tourniquet is precisely when the bleeding has stopped. The primary goal of using a tourniquet is to apply sufficient pressure to occlude blood flow to the extremity, effectively controlling life-threatening hemorrhage. Once bleeding is adequately controlled, it minimizes the risk of further complications, such as tissue damage or loss of limb function due to prolonged ischemia, which can occur if a tourniquet is left in place unnecessarily.

While pain, coldness, and duration are all important to monitor when a tourniquet is applied, they do not dictate when to stop tightening it. Pain is subjective and can vary from person to person, while coldness in the limb may indicate reduced blood flow, but that is not a reliable indicator for stopping the tightening process. The 10-minute guideline relates generally to how long a tourniquet can be safely applied but does not determine the action of stopping once bleeding has ceased. Therefore, ceasing to tighten the tourniquet should solely be based on the effective control of bleeding.