Rib Fractures and Frailty in Geriatric Trauma Patients

As rib fractures are a common injury in the geriatric trauma population and can result in increased morbidity and mortality, we sought to understand predicting outcomes in this population. We hypothesized that frail geriatric rib fracture patients would have worse outcomes than their non-frail counterparts. This single-center retrospective study includes patients from July 2019 to June 2022 who were ≥65 years-old, had ≥ 2 rib fractures, and a documented Clinical Frailty Scale score. Univariate analysis was conducted comparing frail vs non-frail, and ≤3 rib fractures vs >3 rib fractures. Multivariate logistic regressions for risk of mortality and of frailty were performed. We found higher mortality in patients with >3 rib fractures on univariate analysis; however, this did not hold true on multivariate analysis. Frail patients were less likely discharged home and had a lower functional status at discharge. Further investigation is needed to effectively improve outcomes for geriatric trauma patients with rib fractures.