Left sided emergency thoracotomy following a cardiac arrest due to chest trauma!!
EMS stated that the 40 year old male ran out of fuel in his SUV, pulled over got out of his vehicle and was struck on the side of the road by another vehicle at unknown speed. He survived the life-saving intervention. Thoracotomy is a surgical opening of the chest cavity, or thorax, that is performed upon the anterior chest wall. It is performed by surgeons to gain access to the thoracic organs, most commonly the heart, the lungs, or the esophagus, or for access to the thoracic aorta or the anterior spine (the latter necessary in case of tumors in the spine). A resuscitative or emergency thoracotomy may be performed to resuscitate a patient who is near death as a result of a chest injury. It provides access to the chest cavity to control injury-related bleeding from the heart, cardiac compressions to restore a normal heart rhythm, or to relieve pressure on the heart caused by cardiac tamponade, a medical emergency that requires urgent drainage of the accumulated pericardial fluid.
