Emergency department thoracotomy: still useful after abdominal exsanguination?
Despite critical injuries, 16% survived hospitalization, neurologically intact, after EDT for abdominal exsanguination. Our results suggest that prelaparotomy EDT provides survival benefit to penetrating trauma victims dying from intra-abdominal hemorrhage.
Despite statistical significance, these associations do not appear to be clinically relevant. Future studies should explore whether the impact of temperament increases with age.