The war in Ukraine is exposing the dangers of prolonged tourniquet use. US special operations medics are adapting.

A student at the Special Operations Combat Medic Course and School applies a tourniquet to a simulated wound during a casualty scenario at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Feb. 16, 2023. Petty Officer 2nd Class Russell Lindsey/US Navy Lessons from Ukraine are reshaping battlefield medicine as prolonged evacuations become more likely. US special operations medics are graded on when and how they safely remove tourniquets from casualties. Tourniquets save lives, but if left on too long, they can…