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#1
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12-14-2009, 11:10 PM
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Hemopericardium
This is hemopericardium as demonstrated by the dark blood in the pericardial sac opened at autopsy. Penetrating trauma or massive blunt force trauma to the chest (often from the steering wheel) causes a rupture of the myocardium and/or coronary arteries with bleeding into the pericardial cavity. The extensive collection of blood in this closed space leads to cardiac tamponade. A pericardiocentesis, with needle inserted into the pericardial cavity, can be a diagnostic procedure.
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#5
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12-19-2009, 06:48 AM
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| My Rank: PRIVATE Poster Rank:12655 Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 8 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 0 Post(s)
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Re: Hemopericardium
I laerned this when i studied to become a EMT. a pericardial tamponade is very similar to a plueral effusion which causes blood or air to pool into theplueral space of the lungs, but in the heart due to blunt truama such as a car accident in which is causes blood to pool up in between the heart and the pericardial membrane that surrounds the heart causes pressure on the heart eventually preventing it from beating. Dealt with it once during a MVA call in which a person had difficulty breathing, was she had positive AVPU, and PERL, non-AMS since she was responding the questions, but was evident she was in serious pain, and trauma to the chest so based on the steering wheel and its visual appearance we did our Rapid patient assessment concluded possible PCT, with flailed segment, put her immediately into a KED, gave her O2 via NRM, load and go, called ALS for intercept while inroute to the hospital lucky ALS got to us(besides the fact it was a good 20 minutes to the nearest Truama center) because she ended up needing to be intubated, didnt help either she had a high femural fracture, pelvic fracture, broken wrist, and lacerations to her head, so she was losing a bit of blood . safe to say she was in a bad state. one of my worst calls.
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