A successful emergency thoracotomy performed in the field.
case_report · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 17709165.
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Abstract
An emergency thoracotomy (ET) is a surgical procedure rarely practiced outside a hospital. However, it can be the only way to resuscitate a patient who has suffered cardiac arrest due to penetrating chest trauma. SAMUR-Protección Civil is a two-tier Emergency Medical Service of Madrid, with Advance Life Support teams led by Emergency Physicians, Emergency Nurses and Paramedics. Over the last 3 years, medical teams from SAMUR have performed ET in six cases, after a short period of cardiac arrest, restoring cardiac output in two cases, and one patient with a normal neurological outcome. The following SAMUR protocol describes these emergency situations and details the case of the patient who was treated and discharged from hospital without any repercussions.
Medical subject headings
- Emergency Medical Services
- Heart Arrest
- Heart Massage
- Thoracotomy