Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T)

Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T) Gen 7

A severed artery in an arm or leg can bleed you out in a few minutes, faster than any ambulance is going to reach you. The tourniquet in your kit has to go on fast, it has to work the first time and you have to be able to run it with one hand because the injured arm may be your own. That is the job the Combat Application Tourniquet was built for and it is why the C-A-T has been the Official Tourniquet of the U.S. Army since 2005.

The C-A-T is a windlass tourniquet with a patented free-moving internal band running inside the outer strap. When you twist the windlass rod it tightens that inner band evenly all the way around the limb for true circumferential pressure. Once the bleeding stops the rod locks into the windlass clip from either side and the gray hook and loop strap closes over it so nothing comes loose while the casualty is moved. That strap is writeable, which gives you a place to mark the application time for the next level of care.

The Gen 7 runs a single routing buckle so there is one way to thread it and one way to train it. You pull the slack out in one motion, it takes fewer turns of the windlass to stop the bleed and less blood is lost while you work. The windlass rod is a larger diameter with aggressive ribbing so it does not slip in your hand, the stabilization plate under it is reinforced and beveled to keep pressure stable and NAR’s signature red elliptical tip gives you a visual cue for the strap end and feeds easily through the buckle. Locking it down is two big simple motions, clip the rod and close the strap, with nothing small to fumble when fine motor skills are gone.

The U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research found the C-A-T 100% effective at occluding blood flow in both upper and lower extremities. It is recommended by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care, carried by conventional and Special Operations forces and the Army named it one of its Top 10 Greatest Inventions.

At 2.7 oz it rides on a belt, a plate carrier, in an IFAK or in a range bag without you noticing it until you need it. A tourniquet only helps if you can reach it with either hand, so stage it where you can get to it fast. Our Laser TQ Pouch is an open-top tourniquet holder that mounts to a belt, plate carrier, chest rig or cummerbund for fast one-handed access.

The C-A-T is a single-use device so keep the one you carry sealed and practice on a separate one. Take a Stop the Bleed or TCCC class and learn to put it on yourself with each hand.

One size
Open length: 37.5 in.
Strap width: 1.5 in.
Fits adult arms and legs

Brand: North American Rescue
Generation: Gen 7
Color: Black
NSN: 6515-01-521-7976
Single routing buckle for fast application and simple slack removal
Reinforced large diameter windlass rod with aggressive ribbing
Ambidextrous windlass clip locks the rod from either side
Writeable gray windlass strap welded to the clip
Reinforced beveled stabilization plate
Red Tip Technology elliptical tip
Patented free-moving internal band for evenly distributed circumferential pressure
True one-handed application
Official Tourniquet of the U.S. Army since 2005
Proven 100% effective by the U.S. Army's Institute of Surgical Research
Recommended by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care
Named one of the Army's Top 10 Greatest Inventions
Designed to perform in all weather conditions
Single-use device
Packaged: L 6.5 in. x W 2.4 in. x D 1.5 in.
Weight: 2.7 oz
U.S. Patent Nos. 7,842,067 and 7,892,253