By Dr Adrian Cohen | January 2026
I have spent more than thirty years in pre-hospital and retrieval medicine. I have held people in the back of helicopters while they bled. I know what a properly applied tourniquet looks like when it works, and when it doesn’t. That knowledge is why I brought the TAK710 to Australia.
The honest problem with what we currently use
Uncontrolled bleeding from limb injuries is the leading preventable cause of death in trauma. The tourniquets most commonly deployed today, by paramedics, lifeguards, soldiers, and bystanders ,share limitations that are well known but rarely spoken about plainly. They are difficult to apply correctly under stress. They require two hands, or a second person. They loosen. They give no feedback about whether they are actually working. A rescuer can do everything right and still not stop the bleeding. That gap is real, and it costs lives.
A child in the water
On 18 January 2026, a 12-year-old was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach. First responders used a tourniquet. They did everything they could. Two days later, the child died.
I am not writing this to apportion blame: those responders acted with courage and care. But that child’s death is exactly the kind of loss that forces the question: did the tools we had give this child the best possible chance? I have carried questions like this for thirty years. It doesn’t get easier.
What is different about the TAK710
The TAK710 was developed by an Israeli Defence Force trauma surgeon, used extensively in conflict environments, and is FDA-cleared, CE-marked, and registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
One button. The device automatically tightens to above the patient’s blood pressure, reaches occlusion in under 20 seconds, and holds for up to six hours.
One hand. Works in the dark, in wet conditions. Confirms it is working. Does not loosen. Requires no prior training ,and no composure that is almost impossible to maintain when someone you love is bleeding in front of you.
Who should have one
Every ambulance, surf lifesaving service, lifeguard tower, military unit, police and fire service, and industrial first aid kit. And anyone who spends time in the ocean, remote areas, or anywhere far from immediate help. We already accept that people carry defibrillators and EpiPens. The logic is no different.
Why I did this
Catastrophic bleeding is survivable. The difference between survival and death is often measured in seconds and in the reliability of a single piece of equipment. We teach children to swim between the flags. We put defibrillators in shopping centres. When better tools exist, we have a responsibility to make them available. That is all this is.
Dr Adrian Cohen
Former Chief Medical Officer, Sydney Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service | Pre-hospital and Retrieval Medicine Specialist
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