Gauze Strip Tourniquet for Nail Surgery

All nail surgical procedures require the use of a tourniquet. The nail bed, being a very vascular structure, needs to be exsanguinated at the start and then a tourniquet needs to be tied at the base. A number of tourniquets have been described, including a Foley's catheter, a Penrose drain, a rubber strip or a rubber band. The present article explains the use of the easily available, improvised, gauze strip tourniquet. This does not require much special preparation, is easily autoclavable, perfect for single use and can achieve exsanguination as well as tightening as a single step. This technique does not require much learning and is easily reproducible in almost all surgical setups.