medical open heart massage prehospital

We report the case of a 17-year-old man who sustained multiple stab wounds after a knife attack. After arrival of the emergency medical team the patient suffered a cardiac arrest caused by cardiac tamponade. After emergency thoracotomy and open heart massage the patient developed ROSC and could be discharged 13 days later without neurological deficits. Prehospital thoracotomy is rarely performed in Austria but is the only realistic chance for survival in cases of hematopericardium and tamponade. Better training of emergency physicians in Austria concerning surgical resuscitation could increase survival rates especially after penetrating thoracic trauma...

BACKGROUND: Internal cardiac compressions are more efficient than closed chest compressions (CCC) in cardiac arrest (CA). AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the prehospital feasibility of performing a new method of minimally invasive direct cardiac massage (MID-CM TheraCardia Inc.). METHODS: Prospective non-randomized open study, after ethical committee approval. Inclusion of 18-85 years old patients in witnessed CA if BLS>5 min and unsuccessful ACLS>20 min after CA...

OBJECTIVE: The dismal survival rates of cardiac arrest in children managed with conventional closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CC-CPR) have renewed interest in the use of open-chest CPR (OC-CPR). We determined the efficacy of the early use of OC-CPR in children after cardiac arrest. METHODS: A retrospective review of emergency medical services (EMS) and hospital records revealed 27 children who were brought to the emergency department under CPR after blunt trauma...