Tourniquet clip and tourniquet

1 . A tourniquet clip having first and second portions, each of the first and second portions connected, mounted or adapted to connect to or mount on a tourniquet strap at different positions on the tourniquet strap, so as to form a closed loop when so connected or mounted, the first and second portions joined, directly or indirectly, by at least one bendable frangible portion, said at least one bendable frangible portion intended to be broken by a user;

the at least one bendable frangible portion extends in a first direction from a first section to a second section of the tourniquet clip;

the first and second sections are rotatable relative to each other about a line extending transverse to the first direction by bending the bendable frangible portion from a rest position, at which the at least one bendable frangible portion is not bent, in a first rotational direction toward a second position at which first parts of the first and second sections are:

a) closer to each other than at the rest position or

b) engage each other and prevent further rotation in the first direction;

wherein movement of the first and second sections from the rest position in the first rotational direction:

I. to or toward the second position breaks the at least one bendable frangible portion, or

II. to the second position and application of additional force urging the first and second sections to move in the first rotational direction breaks the at least one bendable frangible portion.

2 . The tourniquet clip of claim 1 wherein the first and second portions are joined, directly or indirectly to each other by the at least one bendable frangible portion, so that when the at least one bendable frangible portion is broken there are at least two parts.

3 . The tourniquet clip of 1 wherein the rotation between the rest and second positions is up to about 90 degrees.

4 . The tourniquet clip of claim 3 wherein the rotation between the rest and second positions is between about 45 and about 90 degrees.

5 . The tourniquet clip of claim 1 wherein movement, or application of increasing force to move the first and second sections relative each other, places the respective at least one bendable frangible portion in tension.

6 . The tourniquet clip of claim 5 wherein the first parts of the first and second sections engage each other at at least one location spaced from the at least one bendable frangible portion.

7 . The tourniquet clip of claim 6 wherein the at least one location comprises an elongate engagement surface or line and/or one or more engagement points spaced along a path.

8 . The tourniquet clip of claim 7 wherein the first and second sections each have at least one opposed face extending transversely to the first direction defining a part of at least one groove that extends in an elongate direction transverse to the first direction therebetween;

the at least one bendable frangible portion extends between the at least one opposed faces, and

at least part of an opposed face of the respective first and second sections comprises the first part of the respective section.

9 . The tourniquet clip of claim 8 wherein the first and second portions are connected at more than one location by the at least one bendable frangible portion.

10 . The tourniquet clip of claim 9 comprising at least a central portion, and the central portion comprises the first section and the first and second portions comprise second sections with the first portion connected to the central portion by at least one first frangible portion and the second portion connected to the central portion by at least one second frangible portion.

11 . The tourniquet clip of claim 8 wherein the at least one elongate groove has a constant cross section transverse to the elongate direction.

12 . The tourniquet clip of claim 8 wherein the at least one groove has a cross section transverse to the elongate direction that varies along the elongate direction.

13 . The tourniquet clip of claim 8 wherein the at least one groove defines an included angle.

14 . The tourniquet clip of claim 13 wherein the included angle is up to about 90 degrees.

15 . The tourniquet clip of claim 14 wherein the included angle is between about 45 and about 90 degrees.

16 . The tourniquet clip of claim 13 wherein the included angle defined at one position along the elongate direction of the at least one groove is different to the included angle at another position along the elongate direction of the at least one groove.

17 . The tourniquet clip of claim 8 wherein the tourniquet clip is formed unitarily.

18 . A tourniquet comprising a single length of tourniquet strap and a unitarily formed tourniquet clip as claimed in claim 17 , said first and second portions mounted on the tourniquet strap at different positions so as to form a closed loop, and both of the first and second portions are movable along the tourniquet strap so as to change the effective size of the loop.

19 . A tourniquet comprising at least one length of tourniquet strap and a tourniquet clip as claimed in claim 1 connected to or mounted on at least one of the at least one length of the strap.

20 . The tourniquet of claim 19 wherein the tourniquet strap and the tourniquet clip form a closed loop.