Hemothorax and needle thoracostomies in prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest: An autopsy series of 172 cases.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Trauma is an important cause of death worldwide, and the majority of deaths from trauma occur in the prehospital setting. The presence of hemothorax contributes to this mortality and is most frequently treated with needle thoracostomies, despite concerns about the effectiveness of this intervention. We present the results of an autopsy series of prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest, describing the frequency of hemothorax in this population and the estimated failure rate of needle thoracostomies.

Methods

We used basic demographic data from Emergency Medical Services (EMS) records covering a mixed urban/suburban area in Ontario, Canada, to identify corresponding coroner's reports of cases of prehospital traumatic cardiac arrest. Demographics, injury details, presenc

SUBMITTER: von Vopelius-Feldt J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12270726 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature