title: Revisiting the cardiac versus thoracic pump mechanism during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
abstract: The mechanism of forward blood flow due to external chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remains controversial, with the main theories being based on either a cardiac, or thoracic pump mechanism. Both potential mechanisms are well investigated by echocardiographic assessment. In the present case, a postoperative complication of cardiac tamponade that was detected by a thoracoabdominal CT-scan, led to cardiac arrest with subsequent successful CPR over 15 min until definitive surgical management was performed. This observation suggests that the thoracic pump mechanism may have been the predominant mechanism of forward blood flow in the present case of a pericardial tamponade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Leopold-Franzens-University, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. thorsten.haas@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Wolfgang G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Voelckel
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Herwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Antretter
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessl
authors.forename: Karl H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lindner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed