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Tourniquet Test
- Inflate blood pressure cuff to a point midway between systolic and diastolic pressure for 5 minutes
- Positive test: 20 or more petechiae per 1 inch² (6.25 cm²)
Source: Pan American Health Organization: Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic
Fever: Guidelines for Prevention and Control. PAHO: Washington, D.C.,
1994: 12.
| The tourniquet test assesses capillary fragility. You inflate
the blood pressure cuff to a point midway between the systolic
and diastolic blood pressures for five minutes. After deflating
the cuff, wait for the skin to return to its normal color, and
then count the number of petechiae visible in a one-inch-square
area on the ventral surface of the forearm. Twenty or more petechiae
in the one-inch square patch constitutes a positive test. |
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