Carotid Artery Cannulation for Resuscitation during Hypovolemic Shock: A Boon or Bane?

A 20-year-old healthy male presented to the emergency room with a penetrating injury to the anterior abdominal wall. On examination, he was in hypovolemic shock with no palpable peripheral pulses. Focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) revealed free fluid in the abdominal cavity. He had two episodes of cardiac arrest in the emergency department where the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was able to restore spontaneous circulation. Infusions of norepinephrine and epinephrine at 0.1 mcg -1 kg -1 min were commenced through the central venous catheter in the right internal jugular vein.