Long-term follow-up after rib fixation for flail chest and multiple rib fractures
Beks, Reinier B; de Jong, Mirjam B; Houwert, Roderick M; Sweet, Arthur A R; De Bruin, Ivar G J M; Govaert, Geertje A M; Wessem, Karlijn J P; Simmermacher, Rogier K J; Hietbrink, Falco; Groenwold, Rolf H H; Leenen, Luke P H
(2019) European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, volume 45, issue 4, pp. 645 - 654
(Article)
Abstract
PURPOSE: Rib fixation for flail chest has been shown to improve in-hospital outcome, but little is known about treatment for multiple rib fractures and long-term outcome is scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the safety, long-term quality of life, and implant-related irritation after rib fixation for flail
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chest and multiple rib fractures. METHODS: All adult patients with blunt thoracic trauma who underwent rib fixation for flail chest or multiple rib fractures between January 2010 and December 2016 in our level 1 trauma facility were retrospectively included. In-hospital characteristics and implant removal were obtained via medical records and long-term quality of life was assessed over the telephone. RESULTS: Of the 864 patients admitted with ≥ 3 rib fractures, 166 (19%) underwent rib fixation; 66 flail chest patients and 99 multiple rib fracture patients with an ISS of 24 (IQR 18-34) and 21 (IQR 16-29), respectively. Overall, the most common complication was pneumonia (n = 58, 35%). Six (9%) patients with a flail chest and three (3%) with multiple rib fractures died, only one because of injuries related to the thorax. On average at 3.9 years, follow-up was obtained from 103 patients (62%); 40 with flail chest and 63 with multiple rib fractures reported an EQ-5D index of 0.85 (IQR 0.62-1) and 0.79 (0.62-0.91), respectively. Forty-eight (48%) patients had implant-related irritation and nine (9%) had implant removal. CONCLUSIONS: We show that rib fixation is a safe procedure and that patients reported a relative good quality of life. Patients should be counseled that after rib fixation approximately half of the patients will experience implant-related irritation and about one in ten patients requires implant material removal.
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Keywords: Flail chest, Long term follow-up, Multiple rib fractures, Rib fixation, Fracture Fixation, Internal/statistics & numerical data, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Male, Netherlands, Rib Fractures/etiology, Female, Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data, Aged, Retrospective Studies, Flail Chest/etiology, Conservative Treatment/statistics & numerical data, Fractures, Multiple/etiology, Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Journal Article
ISSN: 1863-9933
Publisher: Urban und Vogel
(Peer reviewed)