Treatment of penetrating cardiac wounds for the general surgeon on call

"Scoop and run" approaches for severely injured patients have been adopted by emergency medical services over the past 40 years. This has resulted in more patients with severe injuries including penetrating cardiac wounds arriving at trauma centers and other acute care hospitals. General surgery trauma teams and general surgeons taking trauma call are the first responders for diagnosis, resuscitation, and operative management of injured patients. By natural selection, 96% to 98% of patients with signs of life on arrival to the trauma center after sustaining a penetrating cardiac wound have injuries that are amenable to repair by a general surgeon, fellow, or senior surgical resident without the need for a cardiothoracic surgeon or cardiopulmonary bypass.This literature and experience-based review summarizes the diagnostic and operative approaches that should be known by all trauma teams and general surgeons taking trauma call. In addition, it describes when a cardiothoracic surgeon should be consulted and briefly reviews how complex penetrating cardiac injuries are repaired.