Rib Fracture Fixation: Controversies and Technical Challenges

Rib fractures are a common injury affecting more than 350,000 people each year in the United States and are associated with respiratory complications, prolonged hospitalization, prolonged pain, long-term disability, and mortality. The social and economic costs that rib fractures contribute to the he...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American surgeon 2010-08, Vol.76 (8), p.793-802
Main Authors: NIRULA, Raminder, MAYBERRY, John C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Flail Chest - etiology
Fracture Fixation - methods
General aspects
Hospitalization
Hospitals
Humans
Injuries
Medical sciences
Mortality
Quality of life
Rib Fractures - surgery
Thoracic surgery
Trauma
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Summary:Rib fractures are a common injury affecting more than 350,000 people each year in the United States and are associated with respiratory complications, prolonged hospitalization, prolonged pain, long-term disability, and mortality. The social and economic costs that rib fractures contribute to the health care burden of the United States are therefore significant. But despite this measurable impact on patients' quality of life, current treatment of the majority of patients in the United States with rib fracture syndromes is supportive only. Even the most severe of chest wall injuries have historically been treated non-operatively. Recently, however, several reports from American centers support an increased application of operative fixation. With this resurgent interest of American surgeons in mind, we review the clinical presentations, potential indications, controversies, and technical challenges unique to rib fracture fixation.
ISSN:0003-1348
1555-9823