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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Endotracheal Intubation via Tracheotomy and Subsequent Thoracotomy in Rats for Non-Survival Applications
Published on: March 15, 2024
A successful emergency thoracotomy performed in the field
Ervigio Corral1, Jacobo Silva, Rosa M Suárez
1Emergency and Medical Rescue Service of Madrid (SAMUR-PROTECCION CIVIL), Avd. Ronda de las Provincias s/n, 28011 Madrid, Spain. corralte@munimadrid.es
Abstract:
An emergency thoracotomy (ET) is a surgical procedure rarely practiced outside a hospital. However, it can be the only way to resuscitate a patient who has suffered cardiac arrest due to penetrating chest trauma. SAMUR-Protección Civil is a two-tier Emergency Medical Service of Madrid, with Advance Life Support teams led by Emergency Physicians, Emergency Nurses and Paramedics. Over the last 3 years, medical teams from SAMUR have performed ET in six cases, after a short period of cardiac arrest, restoring cardiac output in two cases, and one patient with a normal neurological outcome. The following SAMUR protocol describes these emergency situations and details the case of the patient who was treated and discharged from hospital without any repercussions.
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