Being a Vigilant Parent and Caregiver Pays Off!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I am a nurse who has been working with newborns for over 10 years. A little over 4 years ago, I became a mom. Performing head to toe assessments and thinking like a medical professional for my fussy infant was normal for me. As a parent, you know when there is something wrong. If your baby cannot be consoled, shows signs of distress or is extremely fussy, I encourage you to strip your baby down from head to toe and preform an assessment to look for a rare clinical phenomenon which may be the culprit of their distress. This rare clinical phenomenon, previously overlooked, is now mainstream discussion.

Are you intrigued? What could it be? It's called a hair tourniquet. Learning to identify, prevent and treat them it an important addition to your parent or caregiver’s healthy checklist. It may sound confusing, but I am here to help you understand, prevent and treat them.

A hair tourniquet occurs when a strand of hair wraps around a body part and cuts off circulation. Hair tourniquets can damage the nerves, skin tissue, and function of that body part.

Hair tourniquets may affect:

• fingers
• toes
• genitals
• any other appendage

A “hair” tourniquet can be caused by a thin piece of thread or string. Hair is more common, as postpartum parents tend to lose a lot of hair, increasing a baby’s exposure to hairs. They more often affect smaller term babies or premature babies as their appendages are so small and hair can easily wrap around them.

What are the symptoms?

Hair tourniquets become very painful, so a baby who has one will likely cry a lot. Excessive crying would likely be an early sign. Other signs and symptoms include:

• mild to severe swelling in the appendage
• red or discoloured finger, toe, genitalia, umbilical stump, or tongue
• an indentation or groove on the appendage, even if no hair is visible

As time goes on and a hair tourniquet goes unnoticed, it will become dangerous. The tourniquet becomes problematic as it cuts of blood flow causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for keeping the tissue alive. Babies risk injuring or losing the affected body part. Caught early, hair tourniquets are easily fixed.

Preventing Hair Tourniquets

Hair tourniquets are quite rare, but you should still be aware of their potential and take steps to prevent them:

• Brush or comb your hair frequently to remove loose hairs that could fall onto your baby.
• Keep your hair tied back when you are changing, bathing, or playing with your baby.
• Remember to check your baby’s toes and fingers for signs of hair tourniquet. Add this to your bath routine or diaper change routine.
• Knowing that frequently washed, older clothes with loose threads may increase the risk of a loose thread creating a hair tourniquet.

How to Treat a hair tourniquet at home

The only way to fix a hair tourniquet is to remove the hair, thread or string completely. If you don’t succeed within minutes, take your baby to a doctor right away. This is also very difficult to do alone if the area is swollen or the strand of hair is thin and difficult to see.

To remove a hair tourniquet:

1. Take your baby to an area with good lighting. You may even want to ask your partner or a friend to shine a flashlight on the affected area.
2. Locate the hair.
3. Using a pair of fine tweezers or bobby pin slip it under the hair and break the hair. You may also choose to use hydrogen peroxide to weaken the hair first.
4. If the appendage is still red, swollen, or grooved, and your baby is still in pain, seek medical help immediately. Emergency medical care is essential to protect your child from severe complications.

Ensure that the skin doesn’t become punctured or that you are wrapping the hair more tightly around the area.

When to See a Doctor

Immediate removal of the hair is crucial to protect the affected area and to prevent serious complications. The earlier you catch it, the better. Remember the hair or thread often isn’t visible around the swollen area.

It’s possible to attempt treating a hair tourniquet at home, but if symptoms don’t improve right away or within minutes, see a doctor. This usually means going into an emergency ward in a hospital as there is no time to wait for an appointment.

Immediate medical care is essential to:

• save the appendage
• prevent the hair from fully cutting into the skin
• prevent new skin from growing over the hair and embedding it

The doctor will decide if any additional treatment is necessary based upon potential nerve damage or dead tissues. The doctor will either try breaking the hair and releasing the constriction with a blunt tool or may need to surgically remove the hair.

Now that you have the knowledge you have the confidence to prevent, treat and identify Hair Tourniquets. Hair tourniquets can lead to serious complications that get worse as time goes on.

Sonia Joshi.

Sonia Joshi is a Registered Practical Nurse and a mother of a toddler who has been working in the Postpartum, Mother and Baby Unit for over 10 years.  Sonia is an accomplished health care provider known for compassion as well as excellent communication and interpersonal skills. She is a diligent and resourceful individual who demonstrates clear ability to work comfortably with patients, families and the entire healthcare team under the pressures that may arise. Sonia received her RPN from Seneca College. Over her years of experience, Sonia is certified with the college of nurses of Ontario, certified in CPR and First Aid, Neonatal Resuscitation Program, RNAO Breast Feeding, and Sugar Temperature Airway Blood Pressure Lab work Emotional Support (S.T.A.B.L.E.) Sonia also has experience teaching nursing students while they are placed with her for their training.