Integrated Tourniquet System (ITS) Clothing and Uniforms

ACU Coats w/ ITS $149.99

ACU Pants w/ ITS $149.99

"60% of preventable combat deaths are from extremity bleeding, and 50-70% of all combat injuries are extremity wounds."

The Integrated Tourniquet System (I.T.S.) is a new technology which embeds always present tourniquets in military uniforms, exactly where they’re needed.  Both ITS pants and ITS coats are constructed with four tourniquets in each garment – two tourniquets per extremity.  This is a newly invented system that promises to save thousands of lives.

Tourniquets are nothing new to the battlefield.  They’ve been saving the lives of bleeding soldiers for centuries.  When properly deployed to treat an extremity injury, their life (and/or limb) saving qualities is uncompromised. 

On the modern battlefield, however, a number of trends have conspired to make soldiers more and more susceptible to fatal injuries from an extremity injury.  Consider that:

• As body armor and protective equipment has improved, a large number of fatal injuries have moved to the unprotected extremities.  Thus, the importance of stopping blood loss from limb injuries is more important than ever. 
• Attacks involving shrapnel from devices such as IEDs is on the rise.  These attacks often inflict a fatal blow by severing the main arteries that run the length of arms and legs.  Without the immediate application of a tourniquet, these treatable injuries can result in death.
• 60% of preventable combat deaths are from extremity bleeding, and 50-70% of all combat injuries are extremity wounds.
• Tourniquets are standard issue for deploying US soldiers.  However, only a single tourniquet is issued, and the stand alone nature means it’s often stored in a backpack – far from where it needs to be when conflict occurs.
• These types of extremity injuries most often occur during periods of intense action.  A soldier has to contend with seeking cover, heightened senses, adrenaline, pain, bleeding, and uncertainty.  These conditions are hardly conducive to keeping ones wits to first locate their lone tourniquet, much less proper application.

The ITS system elegantly addresses the situation faced by the modern soldier.  By embedding eight tourniquets per uniform (two per limb), exactly where they’re needed, the guesswork in tourniquet location is removed.  The simple act of getting dressed every day ensures that the soldier has the best chance at surviving a preventable death. 

When an injury is sustained, the ease of ITS activation ensures that soldiers are given the best possible chance of effectively activating their tourniquets in a timely matter.  When every second matters, ITS really shines.  Once trained, the average ITS operator can completely occlude bleeding in under 30 seconds.  Without ITS, a soldier would be lucky to merely locate his standard issue tourniquet in 30 seconds.

In addition to saving lives, ITS promises to dramatically reduce the amount of recovery time from extreme blood loss injuries. 

ITS is the brainchild of tactical medicine consultant Dr. Keith Rose, who invented the technology for Blackhawk.  Since its creation, Blackhawk has licensed the technology to other manufacturers to create the ACU (Army Combat Uniform) with ITS included.

	Step 1. Lift back the protective flap covering the ITS tourniquet you need to activate.
	Step 2. Flip the ITS device over into the active position.
	Step 3. Pull the tourniquet strap to reasonably hand tighten the ITS.
	Step 4. Twist the ITS device to further tighten the tourinquet until complete blood occlusion has occurred.
	Step 5. Lock the tourniquet into place using one of the four locking slots.