Effect of surgical stabilization of rib fractures in polytrauma: an analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU®

[Treatment strategy for an unstable chest wall after cardiopulmonary resuscitation]

Every year ca. 60,000 people in Germany undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The two most frequent underlying causes are of cardiopulmonary and traumatic origin. According to the current CPR guidelines chest compressions should be performed in the middle of the sternum with a pressure frequency of 100-120/min and to a depth of 5-6 cm. In contrast to trauma patients where different injury patterns can arise depending on the accident mechanism, both the type of trauma and the injury pattern are similar in patients after CPR due to repetitive thorax compression. It is known that an early reconstruction of the thoracic wall and the restoration of the physiological breathing mechanics in trauma patients with unstable thoracic injuries reduce the rates of pneumonia and weaning failure and shorten the length of stay in the intensive care unit. As a result, it is increasingly being propagated that an unstable thoracic injury as a result of CPR should also be subjected to surgical treatment as soon as possible. In the hospital of the authors an algorithm was formulated based on clinical experience and the underlying evidence in a traumatological context and a surgical treatment strategy was designed, which is presented and discussed taking the available evidence into account.

[Surgical reconstruction of chest wall instability : Indications, contraindications and timing of surgery]

The impact of energy on the thorax can lead to serial rib fractures, sternal fractures, the combination of both and to injury of intrathoracic organs depending on the type, localization and intensity. Sometimes this results in chest wall instability with severe impairment of the respiratory mechanics. In the last decade the importance of surgical chest wall reconstruction in cases of chest wall instability has greatly increased. The evidence for a surgical approach has in the meantime been supported by prospective randomized multicenter studies, multiple retrospective data analyses and meta-analyses based on these studies, including a Cochrane review. The assessment of form and severity of the trauma and the degree of impairment of the respiratory mechanism are the basis for a structured decision on an extended conservative or surgical reconstructive strategy as well as the timing, type and extent of the operation. The morbidity (rate of pneumonia, duration of intensive care unit stay and mechanical ventilation) and fatality can be reduced by a timely surgery within 72 h after trauma. In this article the already established and evidence-based algorithms for surgical chest wall reconstruction are discussed in the context of the current evidence.

The effectiveness of early surgical stabilization for multiple rib fractures: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Multiple rib fractures (≥ 3 displaced rib fractures and/or flail chest) are severe chest trauma with high morbidity and mortality. Rib fixation has become the first choice for multiple rib fracture treatment. However, the timing of surgical rib fixation is unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study explored whether early rib fracture fixation can improve the outcome of multiple rib fractures. The present research included patients who were hospitalized in three Jiangsu hospitals following diagnosis with multiple rib fractures. Patients received early rib fracture fixation (≤ 48 h) or delayed rib fracture fixation (> 48 h) utilizing computer-based random sequencing (in a 1:1 ratio). The primary outcome measures included hospital length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, mechanical ventilation, inflammatory cytokine levels, infection marker levels, infection, and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 403 individuals were classified into two groups, namely, the early group (n = 201) and the delayed group (n = 202). Patients belonging to the two groups had similar baseline clinical data, and there were no statistically significant differences between them. Early rib fracture fixation greatly decreased the length of stay in the ICU (4.63 days vs. 6.72 days, p < 0.001), overall hospital stay (10.15 days vs. 12.43 days, p < 0.001), ventilation days (3.67 days vs. 4.55 days, p < 0.001), and hospitalization cost (6900 USD vs. 7600 USD, p = 0.008). Early rib fracture fixation can decrease inflammatory cytokine levels and infection marker levels, prevent hyperinflammation and improve infection in patients with multiple rib fractures. The timing of rib fracture fixation does not influence the surgical procedure time, operative blood loss, 30-day all-cause mortality, or surgical site infection.

CONCLUSION

The findings from the present research indicated that early rib fracture fixation (≤ 48 h) is a safe, rational, effective and economical strategy and worth clinical promotion.

[VATS in Thorax Trauma]

Since the early 1990s, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) has been increasingly established for a variety of indications in the treatment of patients with thoracic trauma. During this time, one premise for the use of thoracoscopy has not changed. Its use is consistently recommended only for trauma patients with stable circulation and respiration. To define the indications of VATS for use in thoracic trauma, the Pulmonary Injury Group - as part of the Working Committee for Thoracic Trauma of the German Society for Thoracic Surgery (DGT) and the German Society for Trauma Surgery (DGU) - has developed treatment recommendations based on a current literature review (based on the PRISMA Checklist/here: MEDLINE via PubMed from 1993 to 2022). In the present study, after reviewing the available literature, the indications for VATS in the care of thoracic trauma were identified, in order to formulate clinical recommendations for the use of VATS in thoracic trauma. The analysis of 1679 references identified a total of 4 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 4 clinical trials, and 5 meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 39 reviews, which do not allow a higher level of recommendation than consensual recommendations, due to the low evidence of the available literature. Over the past 30 years, stabilisation options in the care of trauma patients have improved significantly, allowing expansion of indications for the use of VATS. Moreover, the recommendation for more than 50 years to thoracotomise trauma patients in case of an initial blood loss ≥ 1500 ml via the inserted chest drainage or in case of continuous blood loss ≥ 250 ml/h over 4 h is now only relative with today's better stabilisation measures. For unstable/non-stabilisable patients with a thoracic injury requiring emergency treatment, thoracotomy remains the method of choice, while VATS is recommended for a wide range of indications in the diagnosis and treatment of stable patients with a penetrating or blunt thoracic trauma. The indications for VATS are persistent haemothorax, treatment of injuries and haemorrhages to the lung, diaphragm, thoracic wall and other organ injuries, and in the secondary phase, treatment of thoracic sequelae of injury (empyema, persistent pulmonary fistula, infected atelectasis, etc.).

Impact of Time of Surgery on the Outcome after Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures in Severely Injured Patients with Severe Chest Trauma—A Matched-Pairs Analysis of the German Trauma Registry

Purpose

In severely injured patients with multiple rib fractures, the beneficial effect of surgical stabilization is still unknown. The existing literature shows divergent results, and the indication and especially the right timing of an operation are the subject of a broad discussion. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the time point of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) on the outcome in a multicenter database with special regard to the duration of ventilation, intensive care, and overall hospital stay.

Methods

Data from the TraumaRegister DGU collected between 2010 and 2019 were used to evaluate patients above 16 years of age with severe rib fractures [Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS)  ≥ 3] who received an SSRF in a matched-pairs analysis. In this matched-pairs analysis, we compared the effects of an early SSRF within 48 h after initial trauma vs. late SSRF 3–10 days after trauma.

Results

After the selection process, we were able to find 142 matched pairs for further evaluation. Early SSRF was associated with a significantly shorter length of stay in the intensive care unit (16.2 days vs. 12.7 days, p = 0.020), and the overall hospital stay (28.5 days vs. 23.4 days, p = 0.005) was significantly longer in the group with late SSRF. Concerning the days on mechanical ventilation, we were able to demonstrate a trend for an approximately 1.5 day shorter ventilation time for patients after early SSRF, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.226).

Conclusions

We were able to determine the significant beneficial effects of early SSRF resulting in a shorter intensive care unit stay and a shorter length of stay in hospital and additionally a trend to a shorter time on mechanical ventilation.