Abstract
The main objectives of emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) are to avoid the cardiovascular collapse from mechanical sources or extreme hypovolemia, in patients in extremis. The indication is to perform in patients presenting pulseless with signs of life, pulseless electrical activity (PEA), sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), or imminence of SCA (profound refractory shock). It must be remembered to avoid in patients with isolated cranial injuries. The best timing of closed-chest CPR plausible to start the thoracotomy is 15 minutes for penetrating traumas and 10 minutes for blunt traumas.
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References
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Jucá Moscardi, M.F., Brunello, L.F.S., Saavedra Tomasich, F., Pust, G.D. (2020). Resuscitative Thoracotomy in Emergency Department. In: Nasr, A., Saavedra Tomasich, F., Collaço, I., Abreu, P., Namias, N., Marttos, A. (eds) The Trauma Golden Hour. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26443-7_9
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