title: Prehospital ultrasound detects pericardial tamponade in a pregnant victim of stabbing assault.
abstract: The development of handheld, portable ultrasound devices has enabled the use of this diagnostic tool also in the out-of-hospital environment. We report on a pregnant teenager who was found haemodynamically unstable after a stab assault. When she suffered cardiac arrest shortly thereafter, diagnosis of cardiac tamponade was made by portable ultrasound, and immediate pericardiocentesis was performed by the emergency physician. While her baby died after emergency Caesarean section, the teenager survived after thoracotomy and prolonged resuscitation without neurological sequelae.
authors: Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy, J.W. Goethe-University Medical School, Frankfurt/M, Germany. c.byhahn@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Byhahn
authors: Tobias M
authors: TM
authors: Bingold
authors: Bernhard
authors: B
authors: Zwissler
authors: Marcus
authors: M
authors: Maier
authors: Felix
authors: F
authors: Walcher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002585:Cesarean Section; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery