2012 Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 320-324
Hemorrhage is the major cause of traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest (TCPA) so, in such cases, massive transfusion should be performed quickly and effectively; however, the method of fluid administration has not been established. Here, we studied the effectiveness of infusion into the right atrial appendage (RAA) in TCPA cases, with reference to RAA cannulation in cardiac surgery. During the study period, data for 20 of 30 TCPA patients (mean age, 47.3 years ; men, 75.0% ; RAA, 10 cases) were collected, and parameters such as infusion volume (total/minute volume), time to start treatment, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes (such as return of spontaneous circulation [ROSC]) for infusion in RAA and the peripheral vein were compared. The infusion volume after RAA cannulation was significantly higher than that in the peripheral vein (p<0.05) ; however, parameters such as time to start treatment, ECG changes, and ROSC between RAA and peripheral vein infusions were not significantly different. Our results suggest that a massive amount of fluid can be infused into the RAA in a short period.
