Emergency Thoracotomy

Emergency thoracotomy: "how to do it".

This paper describes a simple approach to emergency thoracotomy that can be used by a doctor in the prehospital environment and in the resuscitation room.

Giant bronchial polyp treated by emergency thoracotomy.

Emergency thoracotomy for blunt thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVES The indications for emergency thoracotomy are controversial for blunt trauma. The best results were seen in those patients who were stable enough to undergo thoracotomy in the operating theatre and survived the operation. METHODS The hospital records of 29 patients who underwent emergency thoracotomy for blunt thoracic trauma were reviewed. RESULTS Of 964 patients with thoracic t...

Cost-utility analysis of emergency department thoracotomy for trauma victims.

BACKGROUND Our objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) performed on both penetrating and blunt trauma victims, using both published survival and outcome data and previously unaccounted for data on the cost of occupational exposure. METHODS Cost-utility analysis was performed using decision-analytic models constructed for both penetrating and bl...

Emergency prehospital on-scene thoracotomy: a novel method.

The necessity for prehospital thoracotomy is rare, but can be lifesaving. Occasionally an emergency practitioner or surgeon coincidentally arrives at a trauma scene before the arrival of emergency medical teams. In such a circumstance, even when thoracotomy may be indicated, it is not usually performed in view of the lack of equipment (e.g., dissecting tools or rib retractor). We present a nove...