J Trauma
-
Three cases of successful prehospital resuscitation of blunt trauma patients sustaining cardiac arrest resulting from ventricular fibrillation are reported. Although probably uncommon, ventricular fibrillation not caused by severe hypovolemia, exsanguination, or severe hypoxia in the setting of blunt trauma might be a treatable cause of cardiac arrest. Early electrocardiographic monitoring of patients with blunt trauma, including those with cardiac arrest, can detect this small, yet easily salvageable group of patients.
-
Percutaneous tracheostomy has been advocated as a faster, safer, and less invasive method of placing tracheostomy tubes in ventilated patients. To compare outcome differences, as measured by complication rates, between percutaneous and open tracheostomy, a retrospective cohort study was performed. ⋯ The minor complication rates did not differ significantly between percutaneous and open tracheostomy (12/31 vs. 12/29, respectively; p > 0.05), nor did there appear to be a difference in rates of major complications between the two groups (7/31 vs. 5/29; p > 0.05). This study identified a trend towards an increased risk of delayed airway loss in the percutaneous tracheostomy group.