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TissueDB/Simulators/Synthetic Tourniquet Training Model (Souza Lima)

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A flesh-coloured mannequin leg with a black tourniquet applied above a simulated wound; a yellow hand air pump and a reservoir of red simulated blood sit alongside, and the bleeding has stopped.
The completed model: a Combat Application Tourniquet® applied to the commercial mannequin leg stops the simulated bleeding, with the manual air pump and the paint-and-water reservoir alongside. Figure 2 from Souza Lima et al. (2019), Revista do Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões 46(6):e20192324, CC BY 4.0.

The Synthetic Tourniquet Training Model is a low-cost bleeding-control simulator built from easy-to-purchase materials around a commercial mannequin leg, for tourniquet-application training.[1] A commercial ghost-mannequin leg is coated with an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) skin layer over an upholstery-foam layer simulating the muscle and subcutaneous fat, with 1 metre of latex tubing as a blood vessel. A manual air pump drives a red paint-and-water mixture (simulated blood) from a reservoir through serum-drip flow-control equipment into the tubing, producing visible gushing at a simulated wound; correct application of a Combat Application Tourniquet® (CAT®) proximal to the wound stops the bleeding.

Field Details
Features and Basic Operation The bleeding rate is adjustable through the serum-drip flow-control equipment, so the instructor can set the gushing rate. Correct Combat Application Tourniquet® (CAT®) placement between 5 cm and 7 cm proximal to the wound stops the simulated flow; placement outside that window does not, which is the pass/fail training endpoint.
Current Development Status Built and tested for acceptability and perceived educational value; no construct-validity or clinical-transfer study reported.
Estimated Build Time and Cost US$11.50
Specialized Tools and Equipment Combat Application Tourniquet® (CAT®) — the tourniquet applied during training to occlude the simulated vessel.
Version Version 1
Development Team Contact Information Daniel Souza Lima (souzadl@hotmail.com), League of Trauma, Emergency, and Intensive Medicine, Fortaleza University, Brazil.

Tissues

Tissue Qty Material Cost Notes
Skin 1 sheet (60 × 40 cm) EVA sheet — Ethylene-vinyl acetate sheet coating the leg exterior to simulate the skin layer.
Subcutaneous fat 50 cm (shared) Upholstery foam — Part of the single upholstery-foam fill of the leg interior; the paper does not differentiate the subcutaneous-fat and muscle layers.
Muscle 50 cm (shared) Upholstery foam — Same upholstery-foam fill as the subcutaneous-fat layer; simulates the musculature.
Blood vessel 1 m Latex rubber tubing — Threaded through the wound and the two proximal holes so that correct tourniquet placement occludes the simulated flow.
Blood 250 mL paint + water Red school paint and water mixture — Mixed to a near-blood consistency; gushes at the simulated wound when the air pump is active.


Structural Parts

Part Name Qty Material Cost Notes
Ghost-mannequin leg 1 Commercial ghost-mannequin leg — Anatomical support; modified with one anterior wound and two proximal holes.
Simulated-blood reservoir 1 Plastic saline container — Holds the paint-and-water mixture; modified with an air-pump intake port and a serum-drip outflow port.
Fluid pump 1 Simple manual plastic air pump — Propels the mixture from the reservoir through the serum line into the tubing.
Flow-control line 1 Serum (drip) giving set — Controls blood-flow volume and pressure between the reservoir and the tubing.


Build Instructions

Phase 1: Anatomical preparation

  1. Cut an anterior opening in the plastic mannequin leg to simulate a penetrating wound with vascular lesion.
  2. Cut two additional holes 5 cm and 7 cm proximal to the wound.
  3. Pass a 1-metre length of latex tubing through the leg: enter at the simulated wound, exit at the 7 cm hole, re-enter at the 5 cm hole, and position the tubing end at the lesion opening.

Phase 2: Soft-tissue substrate

  1. Fill the leg interior with 50 cm of upholstery foam to simulate the musculature and subcutaneous-fat layers.
  2. Coat the leg exterior with a 60 × 40 cm EVA sheet to simulate the skin layer.

Phase 3: Simulated-fluid reservoir and propulsion

  1. Mix 250 mL of red school paint with water until the mixture reaches a near-blood consistency.
  2. Store the mixture in a plastic saline reservoir modified with an air-pump intake port and a serum-drip outflow port.
  3. Connect the serum-drip outflow line to the latex tubing inside the leg.

Phase 4: Verification

  1. Activate the air pump; visible gushing should appear at the simulated injury site, verifying that the propulsion and fluid-delivery chain is intact.
  2. Apply a Combat Application Tourniquet® (CAT®) between 5 cm and 7 cm proximal to the wound. Correct application stops the simulated gushing; this is the simulator's pass/fail training endpoint.



References

[1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Souza Lima D, Almeida YADS, Cid DMC, Cardoso LC, Braga CS, Regis FGL. Low-cost synthetic tourniquet training model. Rev Col Bras Cir. 2019;46(6):e20192324. DOI 10.1590/0100-6991e-20192324. PMID 31967244.




Simulator data



Page data
Keywords tourniquet, bleeding control, haemorrhage control, CAT, prehospital trauma, low-cost simulator, EVA foam, ghost mannequin, Souza Lima
SDG
Authors Arturopelayo
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 11 pages link here
Views 3 page views (analytics)
Created May 18, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Last edit July 12, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
Cite as Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Simulators/Synthetic Tourniquet Training Model (Souza Lima)". Appropedia. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
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