Tourniquet syndrome is a little-known and very rare syndrome that occurs mostly in babies. They may also call it “hair or thread strangulation” or “hair or fiber tourniquet syndrome.”

It occurs when a thread or a hair (mainly usually from the mother) is twisted strangling a baby’s toe, hand, or penis . Also in the earlobe or on the tongue.

The strangulation affects the circulation of the member producing edema and redness, which the less time it takes, the easier it will be to treat. In the worst case, after several days, necrosis may occur, requiring the child to be operated on to remove the hair or the thread causing the tourniquet and assess the state of the limb.

A mother’s warning

Sara Ward is a mother from Saint Louis who noticed that her five-month-old baby Logan’s third toe was red. She didn’t worry too much at first, thinking it would be an irritation that would go away on its own.

But days later the finger had swollen and had a marked line in the center, so he decided to take it to the emergency room at the hospital.

The pediatrician informed him that it was tourniquet syndrome caused by a hair entangled in it. After 40 minutes and with the help of special instruments, they managed to remove the hair that was strangling the finger, but they were not sure if they had completely removed it.

They told her to continue to watch her baby for any remains, and unfortunately the swelling got worse to the point that the finger turned purple, so they had to take her back to the hospital where she was admitted.

At least 12 professionals intervened in the case to remove the practically invisible hair. Eventually the swelling began to subside, and the finger began to improve.

Tourniquet syndrome: how to realize it

As a symptom, the child will be irritable and cry for no reason, we may see the red finger. Surely we will go to the doctor where they will find the cause. The treatment to be followed will be determined by the doctor after exploring it and will depend on how long the baby has had his strangulated finger.

These are cases that occur very infrequently, but it is important to know about it so that you can start to check the inside of your baby’s socks and trim any threads that may remain, as well as pajamas, jumpsuits or blankets that could release any fibers.

Don’t forget to check the baby’s toes , fingers, and penis often (it may be at bath time) to make sure there are no hair or threads tangled up.