Junctional areas are located at the junctions of the extremities and neck with the torso. Junctional hemorrhage occurs with injury to the large blood vessels that pass through the junctional areas or on the extremities themselves if the injury is too close to the torso to allow for a limb tourniquet to be applied.
Junctional hemorrhage is compressible external hemorrhage and must be treated without delay. Although blood vessels at the junctional areas are larger than in the limbs, they can still be compressed, and a hemostatic dressing and direct pressure should be applied immediately.
The areas where the neck and the limbs join the torso are “junctional” areas. Hemorrhage from wounds in these areas cannot be controlled by application of limb tourniquets like the C.A.T.