Is operating room resuscitation a way to save time?

BACKGROUND: Direct admission to the operating room (OR) can shorten the time to incision. A protocol for operating room resuscitation was established with patient triage based on (1) cardiac arrest, (2) hypotension unresponsive to field fluid resuscitation, or (3) uncontrolled external hemorrhage.

METHODS: Operating room resuscitation over 11 years was reviewed to determine whether the triage criteria correctly identified patients requiring operation. Survival was analyzed and compared with the probability of survival (Ps) determined at the scene.

RESULTS: Operating room resuscitation patients were more likely to require a major operation regardless of mechanism of injury. Of 476 patients with penetrating injury, 170 patients had persistent low blood pressure (<90 mm Hg), and 146 (85.9%) of these required major operative intervention. The mean time to incision in this group was 21.7-67.5 minutes less than for patients not receiving OR resuscitation. Observed survival was significantly greater than that predicted for this group.

CONCLUSIONS: Field triage criteria are able to reliably identify patients who require immediate major operative intervention. Direct admission to the OR results in a more timely initiation of operative therapy for patients requiring emergency surgical procedures.