THE "STOVE-IN" CHEST: ANOTHER APPROACH TO TREATMENT

A case of "stove-in" chest is described in which the drug R1406(phenoperidine), a powerful analgesic and respiratory depressant,was used to allow the easy application of a mechanical ventilatorafter initial surgical fixation of the flail segment. It wasnoted that, under the influence of the drug, ventilation inparticular was adequate, and management in general relativelyeasy compared with previous cases. Undesirable side effectssuch as emesis and hypotension were not observed.