Traumatic liver injury complicating cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. The value of a major intensive care facility: a report of two cases.

Complications associated with external cardiac compression include trauma to the heart, chest wall, lungs and gastrointestinal viscera, with gastrointestinal visceral injury including, ruptured stomach, liver, oesophagus, spleen and colon. However, the use of thrombolytics and anticoagulants in patients with an acute myocardial infarction increases the incidence of a visceral haemorrhage when these patients need cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We report two out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients whose immediate post-resuscitation phase was complicated by hepatic injury and significant haemoperitoneum. Conservative management in a major intensive care unit of both the liver trauma and the induced coagulopathy was associated with a successful outcome in both cases.