Prehospital External Aortic Compression for Temporizing Exsanguinating Sub-Diaphragmatic Hemorrhage - A Promising Technique, but with Challenges: Four Illustrative Cases, Including Two Survivors.

ABSTRACT

External aortic compression (EAC) has long been used to control exsanguinating post-partum hemorrhage, but it has only recently been described in the prehospital trauma setting. This paper reports four cases where manual EAC was used during transport to manage life-threatening bleeding, twice from stab wounds, once from ruptured ectopic pregnancy, and once from severe lower-limb trauma. It showed that EAC has life-saving potential in the prehospital setting, but that safety and efficacy during transport requires the use of a hands-free compression device, such as an aortic tourniquet.