15198 EFSTRATIADES THEODORE

Survival after emergency pre-hospital clam shell thoracotomy for blunt cardiac rupture

Blunt cardiac trauma causing cardiac rupture is frequently a fatal condition. We report the case of a 55-year-old man who fell from a height and suffered blunt cardiac injury. He underwent a clam shell thoracotomy at the site of the accident in order to relieve the tamponade and control the bleeding from the ruptured left atrium before being air transferred to the Hospital.