Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
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Ann R Coll Surg Engl · May 1996
Emergency thoracotomy for thoracic trauma in the accident and emergency department: indications and outcome.
To assess the efficacy of emergency thoracotomy performed for thoracic trauma in the accident and emergency department, a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent this procedure and were brought to hospital by the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service was carried out. Between 1991 and 1994, 16 patients had emergency thoracotomy performed in the accident department. Twelve patients had sustained blunt trauma and four patients had sustained penetrating injuries. ⋯ Our results demonstrate experience of one of the first phase Level One trauma centres in the United Kingdom. From our small series, we believe that selection criteria for emergency thoracotomy in trauma patients need to be revised. From this series and a review of the literature, patients with penetrating injuries, vital signs at the scene and those with a high index of suspicion for tamponade seem to benefit most from thoracotomy in the emergency setting.