A 6-year case series of resuscitative thoracotomies performed by a helicopter emergency medical service in a mixed urban and rural area with a comparison of blunt versus penetrating trauma

Almond, Phillip; Morton, Sarah; OMeara, Matthew; Durge, Neal

doi:10.1186/s13049-022-00997-4

Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine

Table 1 A summary of cases attended (for more details see Additional file 1: Appendix 1 Table S1)

From: A 6-year case series of resuscitative thoracotomies performed by a helicopter emergency medical service in a mixed urban and rural area with a comparison of blunt versus penetrating trauma

Case	Type	Age	Gender	Approximate road time to nearest MTC as per Google Maps™ (minutes)	Time from 999 to HEMS arrival (minutes)	Reason Documented for RT	Cardiac output present with any medical provider	Evidence of cardiac movement seen at RT	Cardiac tamponade found at RT	ROSC achieved at any point on scene	Outcome on scene
1	Penetrating	30	Male	45	44	Exclude tamponade	No	No	No	No	PLE
2	Blunt	48	Male	76	20	For aortic compression	No	Yes	No	Yes	GE to trauma unit
3	Blunt	40	Male	57	29	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	No	Yes	No	Yes	Aircraft carry to MTC
4	Penetrating	21	Female	62	22	Exclude tamponade	Yes	Yes	No	No	GE to TU
5	Penetrating	20	Male	71	31	Exclude tamponade	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	GE to TU
6	Blunt	49	Male	83	50	For aortic compression	Yes	Not documented	No	No	Aircraft carry to MTC
7	Penetrating	40	Male	50	16	Exclude tamponade	No	No	Yes	No	GE to TU
8	Blunt	40	Male	58	26	For aortic compression	Yes	Not documented	No	No	GE to TU
9	Blunt	62	Male	29	36	For aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Aircraft carry to MTC
10	Penetrating	37	Male	54	26	Exclude tamponade	No	Yes	No	No	PLE
11	Blunt	25	Male	36	14	For aortic compression	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
12	Blunt	50	Female	38	55	For aortic compression	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
13	Penetrating	85	Male	36	29	Exclude tamponade	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
14	Penetrating	45	Female	54	24	Exclude tamponade	No	No	No	No	PLE
15	Penetrating	45	Male	54	24	Exclude tamponade	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
16	Penetrating	25	Male	62	31	Exclude tamponade	No	No	No	No	PLE
17	Blunt	50	Male	59	42	Aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	GE to TU
18	Blunt	59	Male	47	12	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Aircraft carry to MTC
19	Penetrating	35	Male	36	31	Exclude tamponade	No	No	Yes	No	PLE
20	Blunt	58	Female	48	29	Exclude tamponade/ arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	Not documented	No	No	PLE
21	Penetrating	25	Male	35	19	Aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	GE to TU
22	Blunt	75	Male	27	41	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	GE to MTC
23	Blunt	24	Male	60	35	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Aircraft carry to TU
24	Blunt	25	Male	54	40	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
25	Penetrating	17	Male	71	24	Exclude tamponade	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	GE to TU
26	Blunt	10	Male	33	15	For aortic compression	No	No	No	No	PLE
27	Penetrating	22	Male	53	15	Exclude tamponade	Yes	No	Yes	No	GE to TU
28	Blunt	47	Male	47	31	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
29	Blunt	37	Male	65	43	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	GE to TU
30	Penetrating	29	Male	19	25	Exclude tamponade	No	Yes	Yes	No	GE to MTC
31	Penetrating	41	Female	47	31	Exclude tamponade	No	No	No	No	PLE
32	Blunt	66	Male	48	50	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	PLE
33	Blunt	47	Male	48	25	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
34	Blunt	33	Male	57	29	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	No	Yes	No	No	PLE
35	Blunt	26	Female	54	29	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage + for aortic compression	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
36	Blunt	59	Male	50	44	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	No	No	No	No	PLE
37	Penetrating (Gunshot)	59	Male	70	24	Exclude tamponade	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
38	Penetrating	37	Male	50	28	Exclude tamponade	No	No	Yes	No	PLE
39	Blunt	25	Female	29	24	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	Yes	No	No	No	PLE
40	Blunt	55	Male	43	20	For aortic compression	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
41	Blunt	30	Male	32	24	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	No	Yes	Yes	No	PLE
42	Penetrating	34	Male	48	40	Exclude tamponade	No	No	No	No	PLE
43	Blunt	36	Male	63	45	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE
44	Blunt	26	Male	30	23	Exclude tamponade/arrest lung haemorrhage	Yes	Yes	No	No	PLE

RT resuscitative thoracotomy, PM post-mortem, MTC major trauma centre, TU trauma unit, PLE pronounced life extinct on scene, GE ground escort via ambulance, ROSC return of spontaneous circulation

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ISSN: 1757-7241

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