Emergency department thoracotomy for pericardiac tamponade

Lau CK, Chin HF, Ong FHM, Eng KHA
Correspondence: Dr Adrian Lau CK, adrianlck@yahoo.com

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.

Keywords: emergency department thoracotomy, emergency thoracotomy, penetrating cardiac injury, percardiac tamponde, ventricular laceration
Singapore Med J 2008; 49(12): e382-e384