Table 1 |
|
Definitions of Terminology Used in Patients Undergoing EDT |
| emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) = thoracotomy performed in the emergency department
for patients arriving in extremis; this should not be used interchangeably with nor confused with a thoracotomy that
is performed in the operating room (OR) or intensive care unit (ICU) within hours
after injury for delayed physiologic deterioration. |
| "no signs of life" = no detectable blood pressure, respiratory or motor effort, cardiac
electrical activity, or pupillary activity (i.e., clinical death). |
| "no vital signs" = no palpable blood pressure, but demonstrate electrical activity,
respiratory effort or pupillary reactivity. |
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Cothren and Moore World Journal of Emergency Surgery 2006 1:4 doi:10.1186/1749-7922-1-4 |
