. 2012 Jun 16;38(5):543–551. doi: 10.1007/s00068-012-0198-6

Table 4.

Factors associated with mortality after an immediate thoracotomy

Factors	Total (n = 56)	Nonsurvivors (n = 20)	Survivors (n = 36)	p value
Pre-hospital
Signs of life^b	55 (98)	19 (95)	36 (100)	0.357^d
Pupillary response^b	45 (80)	11 (55)	34 (94)	0.002^e
Triage-revised trauma score^a	11 (7–12)	8 (4–11)	12 (10–12)	0.001^c
Glasgow coma scale^a	14 (3–15)	3 (3–13)	15 (13–15)	<0.001^c
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)^a	98 (60–114)	68 (0–109)	101 (80–127)	0.009^c
Hemodynamic unstable^b	29 (52)	15 (75)	14 (39)	0.031^e
Gunshot wound^b	10 (17)	6 (30)	4 (11)	0.142^d
Abdominal injury^b	10 (18)	8 (40)	2 (6)	0.002^d
In-hospital
Injury severity score^a	25 (16–34)	34 (17–45)	20 (12–30)	0.011^c
Triage-revised trauma score^a	8 (4–8)	4 (1–8)	8 (6–8)	0.008^c
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)^a	105 (69–120)	70 (0–108)	110 (91–130)	0.003^c
Signs of life^b	50 (89)	14 (70)	36 (100)	0.001^d
CPR^b	17 (30)	15 (75)	2 (6)	<0.001^d
EDT^b	12 (21)	9 (45)	3 (8)	0.002^d
Transection of intrathoracic vessels^b	8 (14)	6 (30)	2 (6)	0.019^d
Thoracotomy indications				0.003^e
Pericardial tamponade^b (with associated shock)	13 (23)	2 (10)	11 (31)
Ongoing chest tube production >200 mL/h^b	8 (14)	1 (5)	7 (19)
Hemodynamically unstable condition^b	11 (20)	7 (35)	4 (11)
Absence of signs of life^b	5 (9)	5 (25)	0 (0)

^aData are displayed as the median, with the first and third quartiles given within parentheses

^bPatient numbers are displayed, with the percentages given within parentheses

Data were analyzed using ^c The Mann–Whitney U test, ^d Fisher’s exact test, ^e The chi-squared test

ED emergency department, CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation, EDT emergency department thoracotomy. A pre-hospital hemodynamically unstable condition was defined as an SBP of <100 mmHg or no response to resuscitation. A hemodynamically unstable condition as an indication for thoracotomy was defined as an SBP of <60 mmHg or no response to resuscitation