Tourniquet test
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A tourniquet test determines capillary fragility.
It is also known as a Rumpel-Leede Capillary-Fragility Test or simply a capillary fragility test. It is a clinical diagnostic method to determine bleeding tendencies in a person who might have a disease such as dengue fever. It assesses fragility of capillary walls, evaluates bleeding tendencies, and identifies thrombocytopenia (a reduced platelet count).
In dengue, the test is defined by the WHO. A blood pressure cuff is inflated to a point between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures for five minutes. The test is positive if there are more than 20 petechiae per square inch (a petechia is a small red or purple spot on the body, caused by a minor hemorrhage).
[edit] Reliability
At least one insurance company, Aetna, has determined that the Rumpel-Leede test is obsolete or unreliable and has been replaced by more advanced procedures. http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0438.html.
The test remains an essential part of the assessment of a patient who may have dengue haemorrhagic fever.
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