TOURNIQUET
TRAINER
Slishman Tourniquet Trainers are a work in progress. These trainers started by accident. I had some extra silicone left over from another project and poured it into a mold. When I squeezed it with a tourniquet it looked interesting. I made another mold, this time with holes. That led to more iterations, and more questions.
The real turning point came when a SIM expert sent me an image of a thigh cross-section from an anatomy textbook. By making one mold for muscles using one durometer silicone, and then another mold for the surrounding soft tissues using another durometer silicone, along with a 3D printed femur, the result seemed compelling. I posted iterations online and other people seemed interested as well.
While I'm happy to sell these directly to anyone who asks, I'm also happy to share the files with DIYers. Hopefully these will help people to better understand how tourniquets behave.
Anatomical Simulation
These trainers have led me to meet some wonderful people all around the world.
What the Trainer
Teaches You
Windlass and ratcheting tourniquets deliver asymmetric squeeze.
Vessels lie medial to the femur.
Muscles have a higher “durometer” than surrounding soft tissue and vessels lie in between.
Deeper vessels require considerably more pressure to occlude.
The femur isn't directly centered.
Targeted direct pressure can achieve deeper focal compression while sparing neighboring tissues.
Veins typically close before arteries.
Some tourniquets cause more superficial crunching and tissue damage than others.
Elastic wraps and tourniquets deliver more symmetric squeeze.
An early prototype
of the tourniquet trainer
Get the trainer
Ready-made trainers are available upon request. Each trainer is created by hand. Ideal for simulation centers, EMS training programs, tactical medicine instructors, and anyone who wants a finished trainer without the build.
We are happy to share the mold and femur files directly with makers, simulation specialists, and educators who want to build their own. Reach out and the files are yours — all we ask is that you share what you learn.