title: Should prehospital resuscitative thoracotomy be incorporated in advanced life support after traumatic cardiac arrest?
abstract: The survival of traumatic cardiac arrest patients poses a challenge for Emergency Medical Services initiating advanced life support on-scene, especially with regard to having to decide immediately whether to initiate prehospital emergency thoracotomy. Although the necessity for carrying out the procedure remains a cause for debate, it can be life-saving when performed with the correct indications and approaches.
authors.affiliation: MSc "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. thanoschalkias@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chalkias
authors.affiliation: MSc "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xanthos
keywords: Algorithm; Prehospital; Thoracotomy; Traumatic cardiac arrest
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