# BOA constricting band



## emp430 (Oct 29, 2009)

Found a couple threads mentioning this, but wanted to know a little more from people that have used this. Does it really make the veins "pop" out when you roll it down or is it pretty much the same as with a normal tourniquet? Is it a big difference between the BOA and normal IV tourniquet? Does the BOA work better on a certain group of people(like elderly)? Can it be used with PTs that have very small arms or very large arms? Is it worth the $9.and change? Pro's and con's? Sorry if this was covered in another topic that I may have missed. Thinking about getting one from the training video I saw, but just wanted someone who has used it or seen it used to give their experience with it. Thanks.


----------



## reaper (Oct 29, 2009)

I have used it. It does work very nicely. The veins will stand up better with it.

The cons:
Only fits small armed people.
Only last about a month or so, before falling apart.


They are nice to have, if needed.


----------



## NorcalEDRN (Aug 18, 2010)

*re: boa*

I've used the BOA and it really helps with diabetics and drug users. Sometimes I also put an additional traditional tourniquet on the upper arm before I apply the boa. And if you have a 'fluffy' person you can typically get a decent wrist or hand by using the BOA, you just need a little extra elbow grease to get it around a large forearm.


----------



## NomadicMedic (Aug 25, 2010)

Agreed. I like the BOA for folks I _think_ are going to be a tough stick. It works wonders on "fluffy" parients and I was able to get a line on a frequent flier drug abuser that I wasn't able to hit before. (Of course, YMMV. It might have just been my lucky day.)

However, use caution with older folks. The rolling motion of the BOA can be brutal on their paper thin skin.


----------

