Point pressure where the bleeding is, not a squeeze around everything — on the neck, armpit, groin and stump, the places a straight wrap handles worst.
At a glance
9 things to know about the HEMGUARD
What the pressure head does, where 6:8 designed it to go, and where it sits next to packing and junctional tourniquets.
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01
Point pressure versus constriction
6:8's design premise is to concentrate pressure on the bleeding point instead of constricting the whole circumference — to keep blood flowing through the vessels that are not injured and to limit painful venous engorgement and distal ischemia.4 That is the manufacturer's rationale. The principle has been measured on another bandage: a rigid pressure bar raised pressure directly beneath it without adding pressure around the rest of the limb.6
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02
A riser targets the pressure
The pressure head is a riser that focuses pressure on the wound, and its redirection channels simplify bandaging.4
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03
Built for the hard places
6:8 designed it to simplify neck, armpit, groin and amputated-limb bandaging, and its application guide shows a step-by-step wrap for each of those sites.3,4
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04
Four-way redirection, two-way leverage
The wrap can be redirected through the head to anchor the bandage in up to four directions and maximize point pressure, with mechanical advantage in two directions if you want more force.3
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05
Pack first, then the HEMGUARD
A deep or junctional wound is packed first — a firm power ball directly on the bleeding vessel, every corner packed tight — and pressure held: hemostatic gauze at least 3 minutes1 or its labeled time, plain gauze at least 10 minutes. The pressure head then goes over the packing.
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06
Junctional bleeding: a junctional tourniquet comes first when it fits
If the bleeding site is amenable to a junctional tourniquet, the TCCC Guidelines direct applying one immediately, with hemostatic dressings and direct pressure while it is readied or if none is available.1 The evidence-based list names no specific junctional device.2
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07
The neck: pack with care and watch the airway
A neck wound can be packed with care without compressing the airway; the lower neck above the collarbone is acceptable. Whatever holds pressure on the neck, keep checking breathing and look for swelling that is getting bigger — the TCCC Guidelines call for exactly that after a neck clamp.1
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08
A flatter sibling
6:8 also makes the HEMGUARD Flat (HGFTPD-4 and HGFTPD-6), the same redirection and leverage features in a low-profile package for compact storage.4
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09
Latex-free, single patient use, five-year shelf life
Both widths are latex-free and single patient use, with a 5-year shelf life.3,4 6:8 Medical Solutions is FDA-registered and lists its compression dressings under product code MHW, Class I and 510(k)-exempt.5 The evidence-based list has no pressure-dressing category, so no pressure bandage is evidence-based standard; absence from the list does not by itself mean a product was tested and failed.2
How to apply the HEMGUARD
Doctrinal order first, then the bandage. 6:8's application guide shows the wrap site by site — axillary, femoral, neck and amputation.
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1Tourniquet first on a limb. Life-threatening limb bleeding that a tourniquet can control gets a tourniquet. Under threat, or when you cannot see the source: high and tight, over clothing. Once the wound is exposed: on bare skin 2–3 in. above it. Never across a joint.1
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2Junctional tourniquet if it fits. Groin or armpit bleeding at a site amenable to a junctional tourniquet: apply one immediately; pack and hold pressure while it is readied or if none is available.1
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3Pack the wound. Power ball directly on the bleeding vessel, every corner packed tight. Never pack the chest or abdomen. Pack the neck with care, without compressing the airway.
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4Hold pressure. Hemostatic gauze at least 3 minutes1 or its labeled time; plain gauze at least 10 minutes; in every case until the bleeding stops. Best practice is to hold until relieved.
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5Center the pressure head. Place the pressure head directly over the packing, on the point that was bleeding.4
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6Wrap and redirect. Wrap the elastic and run it back through the head's redirection channels in the direction that anchors best for the site; use the leverage to add pressure.3,4
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7Check what is beyond it. On the neck: breathing and swelling. On a limb: color, warmth, sensation and pulse below the wrap. If circulation is cut off and no tourniquet is intended, loosen and rewrap.
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8If bleeding continues. A packed wound that keeps bleeding: remove the packing and repack — find the source, power ball, pack properly.1 A superficial wound bleeding through: add dressing on top and rewrap.
Where it fits
- Packed groin and armpit wounds — while a junctional tourniquet is readied, or when none is available1
- Neck wounds after careful packing, with the airway watched
- Dressing an amputation stump — the limb tourniquet stays on1
- Limb wounds a pressure dressing can hold, and tourniquet conversion by trained providers1
- Life-threatening limb bleeding a tourniquet can control — tourniquet first1
- Replacing packing in a deep or junctional wound — pack first
- The chest or abdomen — never pack into either
- A tight wrap around the neck
The evidence
No study has tested the HEMGUARD itself. These are the guideline and the studies behind the point-pressure principle and the cautions above.
| Study | Evidence type | What was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCCC Guidelines, 1 May 2026 | Expert review · guideline | Junctional hemorrhage, hemostatic dressings, tourniquet conversion | Junctional tourniquet immediately when the site is amenable; hemostatic dressings with at least 3 minutes of direct pressure; convert limb tourniquets to hemostatic or pressure dressings when criteria are met |
| Evidence-Based Standard Devices & Adjuncts, 15 December 2021 | Expert review · device list | Devices recommended for combat casualty care | No specific junctional device named; no pressure-dressing category |
| Shipman & Lessard, Mil Med 2009 | Human · pressure measurement | Emergency (Israeli) Bandage with and without its pressure bar; sensors under the bar and at 90°, 180° and 270° around the limb | The pressure bar raised pressure directly beneath it without adding pressure elsewhere; hand and finger perfusion stayed adequate |
| Brzeszczynski et al., Br J Surg 2023 (abstract) | Human · pressure measurement | 15 applications of an OLAES modular pressure bandage by hand-trauma unit staff | Mean 209 mmHg (range 50–485); 40% above 250 mmHg; a purple hand meant tourniquet-level pressure (mean 336 mmHg) |
| Brauckmann et al., Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 2026 | Simulation · pressure sensors | 124 emergency providers (116 analyzed) applying pressure dressings over calibrated sensors | Peak pressure ranged 50–412 mmHg; no correlation between self-assessed and measured pressure |
The pressure-bar study tested the Emergency Bandage, not the HEMGUARD; it supports the principle 6:8 builds on — concentrating pressure under a rigid element. The pressure-measurement studies show why constriction around a limb has to be watched.
How it compares
The two HEMGUARD widths beside 6:8's other ways to hold pressure without a hand.
| HEMGUARD 4 in. | HEMGUARD 6 in. | The Advantage® Pressure Bar | READY WRAP™ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | 6:8 Medical Solutions | 6:8 Medical Solutions | 6:8 Medical Solutions | 6:8 Medical Solutions |
| What it is | Elastic bandage with a targeted pressure head | Elastic bandage with a targeted pressure head | Pressure bar placed over gauze, a bandage or a hemostatic | High-stretch rubber compression wrap |
| Size | 4 in. × 163 cm | 6 in. × 163 cm | Single bar (TADV-02) or set (TADV-01) | 4 × 50 in. |
| Shelf life | 5 years | 5 years | 8 years | 10 years |
| Latex-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| evidence-based standard | No | No | No | No |
All figures from 6:8 Medical Solutions' product information and product guide.3,4 The Advantage is used over gauze, a bandage or a hemostatic, not on its own.4
Build the system
The packing that goes under it, 6:8's pressure bar and bundle, the tourniquets that come first, and a junctional trainer.
Questions buyers ask
Package & specifications
Available Options:
- 4"
- 6"
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
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