Historically, reported survival from traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) was extremely low. More recent publications have recorded survival to discharge of up to 8% – comparable to outcomes in medical cardiac arrest. TCA should be aggressively managed using a standardised approach that rapidly addresses reversible causes in order of priority.

Definition

A trauma patient with agonal or absent spontaneous respiration and the absence of a central pulse.
Patients in arrest secondary to medical causes, asphyxiation, drowning, electrocution and burns should be managed according to the ALS algorithm.