title: Emergency department thoracotomy for pericardiac tamponade.
abstract: A 31-year-old man with a penetrating chest injury presented acutely with pulseless electrical activity, as a result of a ventricular laceration causing pericardial tamponade. Emergency department thoracotomy was performed to release the tamponade and he was operated on immediately to repair the laceration. He subsequently survived and was discharged to a community hospital for rehabilitation. We present this case of penetrating cardiac injury in which the patient arrived in extremis and for which emergency department thoracotomy was performed, and we discuss the role of emergency thoracotomy, its indications and outcome indicators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608. adrianlck@yahoo.com
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: F H M
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: K H A
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Eng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D004630:Emergencies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000150:complications; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D022125:Lacerations / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications*