Pulmonary contusions in patients with rib fractures: The need to better classify a common injury

BackgroundPulmonary contusions are common injuries. Computed tomography reveals vast contused lung volume spectrum, yet pulmonary contusions are defined dichotomously (unilateral vs bilateral). We assessed whether there is stepwise increased risk of pulmonary complications among patients without, with unilateral, and with bilateral pulmonary contusion.MethodsWe identified adults admitted with rib fractures using the largest US inpatient database. After propensity-score-matching patients without vs with unilateral vs bilateral pulmonary contusions and adjusting for residual confounders, we compared risk for pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), respiratory failure, intubation, and mortality.ResultsAmong 148,140 encounters of adults with multiple rib fractures, 19% had concomitant pulmonary contusions. Matched patients with pulmonary contusions had increased risk of pneumonia 19% [95%CI:16–33%], respiratory failure 40% [95%CI: 31–50%], and intubation 46% [95%CI: 33–61%]. Delineation showed bilateral contusions, not unilateral contusions, attributed to increased risk of complications.ConclusionsThere is likely a correlation between contused lung volume and risk of pulmonary complications; dichotomously classifying pulmonary contusions is insufficient. Better understanding this correlation requires establishing the clinically significant contusion volume and a correspondingly refined classification system.     

Correlation of rib fracture patterns with abdominal solid organ injury: A retrospective observational cohort study

PurposeRib fractures are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality and are associated with abdominal solid organ injury (ASOI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of ASOI with the number, location, and involved segments of rib fracture(s) in blunt chest trauma.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with blunt chest trauma over the age of 15 years, who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of rib fractures from July 2015 to September 2020. After ethic committee approval, a retrospective chart review was designed and patients with a diagnosis of rib fractures were selected. Patients who had chest and abdominopelvic CT scan were included in the study and additional data including age, gender, injury severity score, trauma mechanism, number and sides of the fractured ribs (left/right/bilateral), rib fracture segments (upper, middle, lower zone) and results of chest and abdominal spiral CT scan were recorded. The correlation between ASOI and the sides, segments and number of rib fracture(s) was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.ResultsAltogether 1056 patients with rib fracture(s) were included. The mean age was (42.76 ± 13.35) years and 85.4% were male. The most common mechanism of trauma was car accident (34.6%). Most fractures occurred in the middle rib zone (60.44%) and the most commonly involved ribs were the 6th and 7th ones (15.7% and 16.4%, respectively). Concurrent abdominal injuries were observed in 103 patients (34.91%) and were significantly associated with middle zone rib fractures.ConclusionThere is a significant relationship between middle zone rib fractures and ASOI. Intra-abdominal injuries are not restricted to fractures of the lower ribs and thus should always be kept in mind during management of blunt trauma patients with rib fractures.     

快速康复理念在创伤性肋骨骨折手术中的应用

目的探讨快速康复理念在创伤性肋骨骨折手术中的应用。 方法搜集2017年8月至2018年1月西安市红会医院胸外科收治的64例创伤性肋骨骨折患者的临床资料。按治疗方式的不同分为快速康复组(n＝36)和常规治疗组(n＝28)。比较两组患者的手术切口长度、手术时间、术中出血量、术后第1天视觉模拟评分(VAS评分)、拔除胸腔闭式引流管时间、术后第3天最大自由通气量(MVV)、胃肠道功能恢复时间、平均住院时间及住院费用。 结果快速康复组手术切口长度短于常规治疗组,术中出血量少于常规治疗组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);但两组间手术时间比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。快速康复组术后第1天VAS评分低于常规治疗组,拔除胸腔闭式引流管时间短于常规治疗组,术后第3天MVV值大于常规治疗组,胃肠道恢复时间短于常规治疗组,平均住院时间短于常规治疗组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);但两组间住院费用比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。 结论快速康复理念应用于创伤性肋骨骨折手术中具有明显优势,应在临床中广泛推广。     

The significance of first and second rib fractures

There are differing opinions in the literature regarding the significance of first rib fractures. The plan at Westmead Centre is to standardize the initial assessment of patients with such fractures. A 3 year retrospective study of 170 trauma victims who sustained fractured ribs, was undertaken. Of the 15 patients with first rib fracture, all were involved in motor vehicle accidents. Over two-thirds of these patients sustained major chest injuries. Multisystem trauma involving cranial, abdominal or skeletal injury was common. One patient died as a result of head injury. Similar results were observed in 13 patients with second rib fractures. Brachial plexus injuries were noted in two patients with first rib fracture. Despite follow-up of high-risk patients at an interval which varied from 1 to 2 1/2 years after the original injury, major subclavian artery injury was not detected in patients with first rib fracture. From this experience and a literature review, we suggest that the general nature of trauma is similar in patients with first rib fracture to that in patients with second rib fracture. Patients with first rib fracture should be closely examined for neurovascular compromise. Guidelines for the use of angiography are discussed. If there is no evidence of neurovascular injury at presentation, and there is no other thoracic injury, recovery should be uneventful.     

Medial scapular winging associated with rib fractures and plating corrected with pectoralis major transfer

INTRODUCTION

Rib plating is becoming increasingly common as a method for stabilizing a flail chest resulting from multiple rib fractures. Recent guidelines recommend surgical stabilization of a flail chest based on consistent evidence of its efficacy and lack of major safety concerns. But complications of this procedure can occur and are wide ranging.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report an interesting case of a 58-year-old male patient that worked as a long-distance truck driver and had a flail chest from multiple bilateral rib fractures that occurred when his vehicle was blown over in a wind storm. He underwent open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) of the bilateral rib fractures and they successfully healed. However, he had permanent long thoracic nerve injury on the side with the most severe trauma. This resulted in symptomatic scapular winging that impeded him from long-distance truck driving. The scapular winging was surgically corrected nearly two years later with a pectoralis major transfer augmented with fascia lata graft. The patient had an excellent final result.

DISCUSSION

We report this case to alert surgeons who perform rib fracture ORIF that long thoracic nerve injury is a potential iatrogenic complication of that procedure or might be a result of the chest wall trauma.

CONCLUSION

Although the specific cause of the long thoracic nerve injury could not be determined in our patient, it was associated with chest wall trauma in the setting of rib fracture ORIF. The scapular winging was surgically corrected with a pectoralis major transfer.     

Surgical treatment of rib fracture nonunion: A single center experience

IntroductionIn contrast to the emerging evidence on the operative treatment of flail chest, there is a paucity of literature on the surgical treatment of rib fracture nonunion. The purpose of this study was to describe our standardized approach and report the outcome (e.g. patient satisfaction, pain and complications) after surgical treatment of a rib fracture nonunion.MethodsA single centre retrospective cohort study was performed at a level 1 trauma centre. Symptomatic rib nonunion was defined as a severe persistent localized pain associated with the nonunion of one or more rib fractures on a chest CT scan at least 3 months after the initial trauma. Patients after initial operative treatment of rib fractures were excluded.ResultsNineteen patients (11 men, 8 women), with symptomatic nonunions were included. Fourteen patients were referred from other hospitals and 8 patients received treatment from a pain medicine specialist. The mean follow-up was 36 months. No in-hospital complications were observed. In 2 patients, new fractures adjacent to the implant, without new trauma were observed. Furthermore 3 patients requested implant removal with a persistent nonunion in one patient. There was a mean follow-up of 36 months, the majority of patients (n = 13) were satisfied with the results of their surgical treatment and all patients experienced a reduction in the number of complaints. Persisting pain was a common complaint. Three patients reporting severe pain used opioid analgesics on a daily or weekly basis. Only 1 patient needed ongoing treatment by a pain medicine specialist.ConclusionSurgical fixation of symptomatic rib nonunion is a safe and feasible procedure, with a low perioperative complication rate, and might be beneficial in selected symptomatic patients in the future. In our study, although the majority of patients were satisfied and the pain level subjectively decreases, complaints of persistent pain were common.     

Comparison of ultrasonography and radiography in diagnosis of rib fractures

Purpose: Rib fractures are the most common skeletal thoracic injuries resulting from blunt chest trauma. Half of the rib fractures are not detected upon a precise physical evaluation and radiographs. Recently ultrasonography (USG) has been investigated to detect rib fractures. But based on literature the usefulness of USG varies widely. This study was conducted to investigate the role of USG in the detection of possible rib fractures in comparison with radiography. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, consecutive patients with minor blunt chest trauma and suspected rib fractures presenting in Imam Reza Hospital located in Mashhad-Iran, between April 2013 and October 2013 were assessed by USG and radiography. The radiography was performed in a posteroanterior (PA) chest projection and oblique rib view centered over the area of trauma. The time duration spent in taking USG and radiography were recorded. The prevalence and location of fractures revealed by USG and radiography were compared. Results: Sixty-one suspected patients were assessed. The male to female ratio was 2.4:1 (43 men and 18 women) with a mean ± SD age of (44.3 ± 19.7) years. There were totally 59 rib fractures in 38 (62.3%) patients based on radiography and USG, while 23 (37.7%) patients had no diagnostic evidence of rib lesions. USG revealed 58 rib fractures in 33 (54.1%) of 61 suspected patients and radiographs revealed 32 rib fractures in 20 (32.8%) of 61 patients. A total of 58 (98.3%) rib fractures were detected by USG, whereas oblique rib view and PA chest radiography showed 27 (45.8%) and 24 (40.7%) rib fractures, respectively. The average duration of USG was (12 ± 3) min (range 7e17 min), whereas the duration of radiography was (27 ± 6) min (range 15-37 min). The kappa coefficient showed a low level of agreement between both USG and PA chest radiography (kappa coefficient=0.28), and between USG and oblique rib view (kappa coefficient=0.32). Conclusion: USG discloses more fractures than radiography in most patients presenting with suspected rib fractures. Moreover USG requires significantly less time than radiography.     

Hospital-treated minimal-trauma rib fractures in elderly Finns: long-term trends and projections for the future

We determined the current trends in the number and incidence of hospital-treated minimal-trauma rib fractures (low- to moderate-energy traumas typically caused by a fall from standing height or less) in Finnish elderly people by collecting from the National Hospital Discharge Register all patients 60 years of age or more who were admitted to hospitals in 1970–2001 for primary treatment of such fractures. The number and incidence (per 100,000 persons) of these fractures clearly increased from 268 (number) and 41 (incidence) in 1970 to 737 and 70 in 2001, while in younger patients (aged 20–49 years) the trend was decreasing, the corresponding numbers being 194 and 10 in 1970, and 153 and 7 in 2001. In the elderly Finns, also the age-adjusted incidence of these hospital-admitted rib fractures showed an increase, from 37 (1970) to 51 (2001) in women, and from 63 to 77 in men. In women aged 80 years and over, the age-specific incidence of fracture increased from 88 to 186, while in the other age groups only slight secular changes were found. If the above-described trends continue, the number of elderly Finns admitted to a hospital due to a rib fracture will more than double in next three decades.     

Use of ketorolac is associated with decreased pneumonia following rib fractures

Background

The effectiveness of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketorolac in reducing pulmonary morbidity after rib fractures remains largely unknown.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted spanning January 2003 to June 2011 assessing pneumonia within 30 days and potential adverse effects of ketorolac among all patients with rib fractures who received ketorolac <4 days after injury compared with a random sample of those who did not.

Results

Among 202 patients who received ketorolac and 417 who did not, ketorolac use was associated with decreased pneumonia (odds ratio, .14; 95% confidence interval, .04 to .46) and increased ventilator-free days (difference, 1.8 days; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.5) and intensive care unit–free days (difference, 2.1 days; 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 3.0) within 30 days. The rates of acute kidney injury, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and fracture nonunion were not different.

Conclusions

Early administration of ketorolac to patients with rib fractures is associated with a decreased likelihood of pneumonia, without apparent risks.     

Clinical management of rib fractures and methods for prevention of pulmonary complications: A review

Rib fractures are common injuries associated with significant morbidity and mortality, largely due to pulmonary complications. Despite equivocal effectiveness data, incentive spirometers are widely utilized to reduce pulmonary complications in the postoperative setting. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of incentive spirometry after rib fracture. Multiple investigations have demonstrated incentive spirometry to be an important screening tool to identify high-risk rib fracture patients who could benefit from aggressive, multidisciplinary pulmonary complication prevention strategies. This review evaluates the epidemiology of rib fractures, their associated pulmonary complications, along with the evidence for optimizing their clinical management through the use of incentive spirometry, multimodal analgesia, and surgical fixation.     

Horner syndrome due to first rib fracture after major thoracic trauma

A case of Horner syndrome diagnosed during the follow-up after major thoracic trauma is presented in this report. A 10-year-old boy was admitted to the emergency service with severe thoracic trauma with left clavicular and first rib fracture after a traffic accident. During the follow-up, myosis and ptosis were recognized in his left eye. Cranial tomography and neurological examination were all normal. The symptoms were thought to be caused by compression of the local hematoma to the cervical ganglia. After 30 days of conservative treatment with tube thoracostomies, he was discharged with his Horner syndrome. After 6 months of follow-up, the findings of Horner syndrome were found to be partially resolved. First rib fracture associated with Horner syndrome is very rarely seen in children, and only 2 cases were found in English-language literature. Our case seems to be the third reported case. Horner syndrome should be kept in mind in cases of first rib fractures. When head trauma is considered, as it can be mistaken with anisocoria, this knowledge may help the surgeon in differential diagnosis.     

Treatment and outcome of traumatic biliary injuries in children

Background/Purpose

Traumatic biliary tract injuries in children are rare but may result in significant morbidity. The objective of this study was to review the occurrence of traumatic biliary tract injuries in children, management strategies, and outcome.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of patients with biliary tract injury using the trauma registry at our level 1 pediatric trauma center from 2002–2012.

Results

Twelve out of 13,582 trauma patients were identified, representing 0.09% of all trauma patients. All were secondary to blunt trauma. Mean age was 9.7 years [range 4–15], and mean Injury Severity Score was 31 ± 14, with overall survival of 92%. Biliary injuries included major ductal injury (6), minor ductal injury with biloma (4), gallbladder injury (2), and intrahepatic ductal injury (1). Major ductal injuries were managed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and biliary stent (5) and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (1). Associated gallbladder injury was managed by cholecystectomy. In addition, the associated biloma was managed with percutaneous drainage (7), laparoscopic drainage (2), or during laparotomy (3). Two patients with ductal injuries developed late strictures after initial management with ERCP and stent placement. One of the two patients ultimately required a left hepatectomy, and the other has been managed conservatively without evidence of cholangitis. Two patients required placement of additional drains and prolonged antibiotics for superinfection following biloma drainage.

Conclusion

Biliary tract injuries are rare in children, and many are amenable to adjunctive therapy, including ERCP and biliary stent placement with or without placement of a peritoneal drain. Patients with a discrete ductal injury are at higher risk for stricture and require close follow up. Hepaticojejunostomy remains the definitive repair for large extrahepatic biliary tract injuries or transections.     

Evaluation of intramedullary rib splints for less-invasive stabilisation of rib fractures

Background

Intramedullary fixation of rib fractures with generic Kirschner wires has been practiced for over 50 years. However, this technique has not been advanced to address reported complications of wire migration and cut-out. This biomechanical study evaluated a novel rib splint designed to replicate the less-invasive fixation approach of Kirschner wires while mitigating their associated complications.

Methods

The durability, strength, and failure mode of rib fracture fixation with intramedullary rib splints were evaluated in 27 cadaveric ribs. First, intact ribs were loaded to failure to determine their strength and to induce realistic rib fractures. Subsequently, fractures were stabilised with a novel rib splint made of titanium alloy with a rectangular cross-section that was secured with a locking screw. All fixation constructs were dynamically loaded to 360,000 cycles at five times the respiratory load magnitude to determine their durability. Finally, constructs were loaded to failure to determine their residual strength and failure modes.

Results

Native ribs had a strength of 9.7 ± 5.0 N m, with a range of 3.5-19.6 N m. Fracture fixation with rib splints was uneventful. All 27 splint constructs sustained dynamic loading without fixation failure, implant migration or implant cut-out. Dynamic loading caused no significant decrease in construct stiffness (p = 0.85) and construct subsidence remained on average below 0.5 mm. The residual strength of splint constructs after dynamic loading was 1.1 ± 0.24 N m. Constructs failed by splint bending in 44% of specimens and by developing fracture lines along the superior and inferior cortices in 56% of specimens. Regardless of the failure mode, all rib splint constructs recoiled elastically after failure and retained functional reduction and fixation. No construct exhibited implant cut-out or migration through the lateral cortex.

Conclusions

Rib splints can provide sufficient stability to support respiratory loading throughout the healing phase, but they cannot restore the full strength of native ribs. Most importantly, rib splints mitigated the complications reported for rib fracture fixation with generic Kirschner wires, namely implant cut-out and migration through the lateral cortex. Therefore, rib splints may provide an advanced alternative to the original Kirschner wire technique for less-invasive fixation of rib fractures.