Resuscitative thoracotomy

Overview

Resuscitative thoracotomy is a potentially life-saving invasive procedure, performed to to control major bleeding in the chest and it has low survival rate

Indications

Cardiac arrest after blunt and penetrated trauma to the chest

Procedure

Figure 1 Resuscitative thoracotomy, general technique

from Jones & Rivers 2019, Chapter 18 Resuscitative Thoracotomy 5. [ Custalow CB: Color atlas of emergency department procedures,Philadelphia, 2005, Saunders]