Medical Terminology for the "cracking" procedure

[matto]

Patient flatlines, doctor "cracks" open patient along mid-axillary line, reaches in, and manually pumps the heart. Does anyone know the name of this procedure?

Crackin them up like a lobster... this is not a new procedure

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[pratik7]

Patient flatlines, doctor "cracks" open patient along mid-axillary line, reaches in, and manually pumps the heart. Does anyone know the name of this procedure?

Crackin them up like a lobster... this is not a new procedure

thoracotomy. There is no role for a thoracotomy for the run of the mill cardiac arrest. It is used mostly for penetrating trauma

 

[matto]

Thanks, that's intense.

 

[tkim]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=840313

 

[matto]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=840313

I hoped this would be a link to a previous thread on this topic. Thanks for your contribution...

Anyway, i find this procedure fascinating. It seems recovery is a big variable that can cause lots of trouble. I'm wondering if "reattaching" each individual rib is a trivial aspect to recovering from the procedure or not. Perhaps some of the medical professionals here would like to share their experiences with this. Or if there is some central authoriy where discussions like this have already happened, I'd be excited to know about it. :]

 

[deuist]

It seems recovery is a big variable that can cause lots of trouble.

Recovery? It has a 99% mortality rate. I only know of one person who knows one person where a thoracotomy was successful. Otherwise, expect the patient to die.

 

[deleted109597]

Recovery? It has a 99% mortality rate. I only know of one person who knows one person where a thoracotomy was successful. Otherwise, expect the patient to die.

I've seen it be successful. Once.

 

[morbo]

I've seen thoracotomies on lobsters before, but only a few times on patients.

 

[KYTNOH]

I'm personally 1 for 1. I've watched another 3 or 4. Mine lived with some mild neurologic deficits and one other lived with no significant neurologic deficits. Both were penetrating trauma and coded in the trauma bay. There have been another 10 or 15 since I've been in residency (just starting third year) and I can't remember any of them being successful.

 

[substanceP]

I've seen it be successful. Once.

ditto. I'm one for about eight or nine (counting all the ones watched during residency etc).