Long-term patient outcomes after surgical stabilization of rib fractures
Sarah Majercik1, Quinn Cannon1, Steven R Granger1
1Division of Trauma Services and Critical Care Medicine, Intermountain Medical Center, 5121 South Cottonwood Street, Murray, UT 84157, USA.
Background:
Rib fractures are common, and can be disabling. Recently, there has been increased interest in surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF). It is difficult to define long-term benefits of the procedure. This is a descriptive study of patient outcomes after SSRF.
Methods:
SSRF patients between April 2010 and August 2012 at a Level I trauma center were identified. Data were collected from the medical records. A telephone survey asking about pain, satisfaction, and employment was administered to patients after hospital discharge.
Results:
One hundred-one patients met inclusion criteria. Fifty (50%) patients completed the survey. Indications for SSRF included flail chest, displaced fractures, pain, and inability to wean from mechanical ventilation. Pain was gone at 5.4 ± 1.1 weeks post discharge. Satisfaction with SSRF on a scale of 1 to 10 was 9.2 ± .2. Ninety percent of employed patients returned to the same work at 8.5 ± 1.2 weeks.
Conclusions:
SSRF patients are satisfied and are able to return to normal activity with few limitations. A prospective study using modern rib fixation technology is needed to further define benefits.
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