Pre-hospital and Emergency Department Resuscitative Thoracotomy

This course is suitable for: CT2, ST3-8 and SAS grades.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Explain the principles and decision-making process for when a resuscitative thoracotomy is indicated.
• Identify anatomy relevant to resuscitative thoracotomy.
• Manage the arrested patient as part of the trauma team before and during resuscitative thoracotomy.
• Describe the preparation needed for a resuscitative thoracotomy, including effective team resource management.
• List the four stages of dealing with cardiac injury through resuscitative thoracotomy.
• Perform the following procedures at a level appropriate to your level of training:

• Clamshell thoracotomy
• Opening the pericardium
• Internal massage of the heart
• Repairing a hole in the heart
• Key non-cardiac interventions
• Manage the post-procedural patient.

This course combines practical skills workshops using animal (porcine) tissue with lectures, decision-making scenarios and case based discussions.