MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make the biggest difference.

In the immediate aftermath of the tragic and deadly bombing during the Boston marathon, emergency responders reportedly used everything from t-shirt scraps to neck lanyards as make-shift tourniquets to stem bleeding for victims with severe wounds or missing limbs, according to media reports.

Doctors at nearby hospitals told reporters that those efforts saved many lives, the Associated Press reported, but as recently as within the last 15 years tourniquets were at the center of much controversy over whether they cause more harm than good.

"Some people saw them as lifesaving, and others said they were the instrument of the devil," orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Kragh Jr., of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research told the Huffington Post.

Tourniquets are now routinely provided to soldiers and some studies suggest that proper and timely use of tourniquets may help improve survival rates as high as 90%.

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