RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To establish and evaluate a swine model of traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) induced by haemorrhage and ventricular fibrillation. METHODS: Thirteen male pigs were divided into a sham group (n = 5) and TCA group (n = 8). Animals in the sham-operated group underwent intubation and monitoring but not haemorrhage and resuscitation, while animals in the TCA group underwent 40% blood volume haemorrhage over 20 min followed by 5 min of ventricular fibrillation and 5 min of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with fluid resuscitation. RESULTS: Restoration of spontaneous circulation was achieved in seven of eight animals in the TCA group. After resuscitation, the heart rate was significantly increased while the mean arterial pressure and ejection fraction were significantly decreased in the TCA group. The TCA group had significant cardiac and neurological injuries post-resuscitation and had higher serum creatinine and blood lactic acid levels and lower PaO2 than the sham group. Animals in the TCA group also exhibited significantly higher apoptotic indices and caspase-3 protein levels in the heart, brain and kidney than the sham group. CONCLUSION: Animals in this swine model of TCA exhibited high rates of successful resuscitation, significant vital organ injury and prolonged survival. The model is suitable for use in further TCA research.