15th May 2025

A 20-year-old female with an unknown past medical history has come into the emergency department after a road traffic collision car vs car with combined speed of 120mph.

A 20-year-old female with an unknown past medical history has come into the emergency department after a road traffic collision car vs car with combined speed of 120mph. The patient is unconscious and is  likely to have trauma to the head, chest, and limbs. Pupils are equal and reactive to light, There is no  external major blood loss on exposure of the patient, abdomen is soft and non-tender, however the  patient is obtunded and haemodynamically unstable with a blood pressure of 84/45. After doing the  secondary assessment and initial treatment with crystalloid fluid boluses, the patient arrests. In between  chest compressions you do a POC ultrasound scan which shows a pericardial effusion of an estimated  175mls. What would be the definitive treatment of this patient?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.