Beware of finger tourniquets: a case report and update by the National Patient Safety Agency.

Finger tourniquets have been used in finger surgery for a long time to provide a bloodless field while operating on digits. Many different techniques have been described for a 'safe and reliable' finger tourniquet including Penrose drains, coloured rubber gloves and gloves with haemostat. The potential injury that can be caused by leaving the tourniquet in situ for longer than is necessary is devastating to the patient. Although there have been many articles describing a safe tourniquet technique, vigilance needs to be maintained by the operating surgeon to remove the tourniquet. We are presenting a case of retained finger tourniquet to highlight this problem and highlight the rapid response report published by the National Patient Safety Agency in December 2009.