Clay Cothren Burlew, Ernest E Moore, Frederick A Moore, Raul Coimbra, Robert C McIntyre, James W Davis, Jason Sperry, Walter L Biffl
BACKGROUND: In the past three decades, there has been a significant clinical shift in the performance of resuscitative thoracotomy (RT), from a nearly obligatory procedure before declaring any trauma patient deceased to a more selective application of RT. We have sought to formulate an evidence-based guideline for the current indications for RT after injury in the patient. METHODS: The Western Trauma Association Critical Decisions Committee queried the literature for studies defining the appropriate role of RT in the trauma patient...
December 2012: Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery