Can a tourniquet be intermittently relieved?

No, if the tourniquet was applied due to a life-threatening bleeding or amputation, it cannotbe released (even for short periods of time) with false aims to “renew the blood flow to the extremity”, “allow the limb to recuperate” or to relieve pain. If the tourniquet is released, the clot that was forming is washed out, causing the renewal of bleeding and leading to further blood loss. It is followed by the release of tissue decomposition products into the general bloodstream, shock and death.