Lockey et al 2006 - Traumatic Cardiac Arrest survivors

Question 1

Summarise Lockey et al 2006

Answer 1

Published in Annals of Emergency Medicine

Retrospective observational study, database enquiry

Examined a database to identify the aetiology behind out of hospital TCA, to identify the characteristics of the patients who survive

Covers:
Background
- Often considered to be futile 0-3.7% survival
- Guidelines advocated withholding/terminating resuscitation
- May be that there are some survivors and numbers are better than recorded

Goals
- Establish long-term survival rates
- Not neurological outcome

Methods
- Retrospective trauma database review
- All patients who had CPR (excluding medical and transfers)
- Included burns, hanging, traumatic asphyxia, electrocution and drowning

Results
- 909 patients had CPR
- 131 survived to discharge from ED (14.4%)
- 68 survived to hospital discharge (7.5%)
- Not that many stabbings

Limitations
- No data on functional outcome
- All attended by physicians

Take homes:
- Survivors in the hypoxic and penetrating trauma aetiology
- Very poor survival from haemorrhage