Cardiac arrest is the end point, it is the symptom, not the diagnosis. The pathophysiological process varies, and this is particularly relevant in trauma vs medical. In medical cardiac arrest, the pathological processes tend to affect the heart’s ability to pump: eg primary cardiac event, chemical/electrolyte abnormality, but full circulation. In trauma the process is generally not primarily due to pump failure, but due to hypovolaemia or obstruction. It might be better to consider traumatic cardiac arrest as a completely different disease eg LOST: Low Output State due to Trauma

The 2015 European Resuscitation Council and UK Resuscitation Council Algorithms for Traumatic Cardiac Arrest:

To read the whole ERC guideline on special circumstances cardiac arrest including trauma, click here.

Ultrasound during TCA: Cureton et al. The heart of the matter: utility of ultrasound of cardiac activity during traumatic arrest. J Trauma. 2012; 73: 102-10.

The outcomes from different resuscitative interventions in a haemorrhagic shock model in porcine model:

From: Watts et al. Closed chest compressions reduce survival in a model of haemorrhagic-induced traumatic cardiac arrest . EMJ 2017; 34: 860-900. (A866)

Impact brain apnoea: Wilson et al. Impact brain apnoea – A forgotten cause of cardiovascular collapse in trauma. Resuscitation. 2016; 105: 52-58.

References

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8. Zwingmann et al. Survival and neurological outcome after OOH TCA in pediatric & adult populations: a systematic review. Critical Care; 2012.
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