Last time, I posted summary info for ED thoracotomy on US trauma centers. Here’s a rundown of the answers provided by international respondents. A few duplicates from the same hospitals have been merged into single answers for them. The total number of international centers for the tables below is now 43.
Level of trauma center (or equivalent)
| Level I | 22 |
| Level II | 8 |
| Level III | 6 |
| No level | 7 |
How many ED thoracotomies are performed per year at your hospital?
| A few per year (<6) | 30 |
| About every month (6-15) | 6 |
| A couple of times a month (16-30)4 | 4 |
| About every week (31-52) | 2 |
| Not specified | 1 |
What type of trauma do you perform ED thoracotomy for?
| Both blunt and penetrating | 22 |
| Penetrating | 17 |
| Blunt | 4 |
Do you use a practice guideline for ED thoracotomy?
| Yes | 17 |
| No | 16 |
| I’m not sure | 10 |
Do you use REBOA in your ED?
| No | 32 |
| Yes | 9 |
| I’m not sure | 2 |
And now for the questions you’ve been waiting for!
Who could perform ED thoracotomy at your hospital? (n=149)
| Surgeon | 39 |
| Emergency physician | 25 |
| Surgical resident / fellow | 15 |
| Emergency medicine resident | 7 |
| Intensivist | 1 |
| ED intern / medical officer | 1 |
| No one | 1 |
Who usually performs ED thoracotomy at your hospital? (n=149)
| Surgeon | 32 |
| Emergency physician | 15 |
| Surgical resident / fellow | 9 |
| Emergency medicine resident | 1 |
| Thoracic surgeon on call | 1 |
| Trauma team leader | 1 |
| Never done one | 1 |
