Is First Rib Fracture a Culprit or a Sign of Injury Severity? It Is Both

Fracture of the Second Rib: An Indirect Sign of Serious Trauma Like Fracture of the First Rib?

Background

The first 3 ribs are anatomically well-protected, shielded by the large thoracic muscles, the shoulder girdle, and the arm. A significant force is required to fracture these ribs; thus, such fractures suggest a high-energy trauma and are associated with injuries to vital organs of the thorax, such as the aorta, the heart, the lungs and the great vessels.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted over a 10-year period at a single hospital. The study assessed patients with fractures of the second rib, including their concurrent injuries and the overall severity of their trauma.

Results

Among the 76 patients included in the study, the average age was 47.35 years, 81.5% were men, and 19.5% were women. Thirteen patients (17.1%) survived their injuries. The most common causes of injury were road traffic accidents (63%) and pedestrian injuries (22%). The patients who did not survive sustained injuries to an average of 5 additional organs, while survivors had injuries to an average of 2.07 additional organs. Left rib fractures were the most frequently observed (46%). The most serious concurrent injuries reported were to the aorta (5.26%), heart (10.52%), lung (52.36%), head (57.89%), liver (30.2%), spleen (26.31%), and kidney (17.1%).

Conclusion

As indicators of serious injury to vital endothoracic organs, isolated fractures of the second rib should be considered equal to first rib fractures in clinical importance.

First rib fracture: Still a marker of trauma severity?

OBJECTIVE

First rib fractures (FRFs) have historically been a marker for severe trauma and poor outcomes. The aim of the present study was to assess whether an association still exists between a fractured first rib and global trauma scores suffered by the patient, examine mortality rates and identify other commonly associated injuries.

METHODS

This retrospective study examined records collected from patients from the Rockhampton Hospital with a traumatic FRF from July 2015 to June 2020. Patient demographics, mortality rate and injuries sustained were compiled. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) was utilised and calculated for each patient. Analysis was conducted to determine associations between trauma scores and FRFs.

RESULTS

In total, 545 patients had a rib fracture with 48 patients identified as having an FRF. Median age was 50 years. Thirty-seven (77%) were male. The most common mechanism of FRF was motor vehicle/motorbike accidents (71%). Fifty percent of patients with an observed FRF had the highest global ISS of very severe, with 13% severe, 22% moderate and 15% mild. No patients died from their injuries. Of those with an FRF, 79% experienced fractures other than ribs, 75% had other rib fractures and 52% had chest injuries.

CONCLUSIONS

A larger than expected proportion of FRFs were not associated with severe trauma scores or high mortality. These findings suggest that patients with an FRF may have a greater chance of surviving their traumatic FRF than previously reported. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for severity and specific associated injuries when treating a patient with FRFs.

Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures: Indications, Techniques, and Pitfalls

Rib fractures are a common thoracic injury that is encountered in 20% to 39% of patients with blunt chest trauma and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality^1,2. Traditionally, the majority of patient with rib fractures have been managed nonoperatively. Recently, the utilization of surgical stabilization of rib fractures has increased considerably because the procedure has shown improved outcomes^3-5.

Rib fractures after blunt thoracic trauma in patients with normal versus diminished bone mineral density: a retrospective cohort study

This study aimed to evaluate rib fracture rate as well as rib fracture characteristics after thoracic trauma in patients with normal versus diminished bone mineral density (BMD). A retrospective cohort study of persons aged 50 years or older presenting to the Emergency Department after sustaining blunt thoracic trauma between July 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017, was performed. Patient and trauma characteristics and DXA scan results were collected. Rib fracture rate and characteristics were evaluated on a radiograph and/or CT scan of the thorax. In total, 119 patients were included for analysis. Fifty-eight of them (49%) had a diminished BMD. In the remaining 61, the BMD was normal. The diminished BMD group experienced rib fractures more often than the normal BMD group (n = 43 (74%) versus n = 31 (51%); p = 0.014). Patients with diminished BMD suffered low-energy trauma more frequently than the normal BMD group (21 (36%) versus 11 patients (15%), respectively (p = 0.011)). Rib fracture characteristics such as the median number of rib fractures, concomitant intrathoracic injury rate, and rib fracture type distribution were not different between the groups. The rate of rib fractures after blunt thoracic trauma was significantly higher in patients with diminished BMD than in patients with a normal BMD. Differences in number and location of rib fractures between groups could not be proven. When assessing patients aged 50 years or older presenting to the hospital after substantial blunt thoracic trauma, the presence of diminished BMD should be taken into account and the presence of rib fractures should be investigated with appropriate diagnostic procedures. Diminished bone mineral density (i.e., osteopenia or osteoporosis) is associated with increased fracture risk. This study evaluated if diminished BMD increases the rib fracture risk. Patients with diminished BMD have a higher risk of sustaining rib fractures after substantial blunt thoracic trauma, which implicates a lower threshold for CT imaging of the chest.

Tracheostomy in trauma patients with rib fractures

PURPOSE

Patients with rib fractures (RF) may require prolonged mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy. Indications for tracheostomy in trauma patients with RF remain debatable. The goal was to delineate characteristics of patients who underwent tracheostomy due to thoracic versus extra-thoracic causes, such as maxillofacial-mandibular injury (MFM), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and cervical vertebrae trauma (CVT), and to analyze clinical outcomes. The predictive values of chest trauma scoring systems for tracheostomy were also evaluated. We hypothesized that tracheostomized patients were more severely injured with more ribs fractured and had more pulmonary co-injuries.

METHODS

Retrospective review included 471 patients with RF admitted to two Level 1 trauma centers. Patients with tracheostomy (n = 124, 26.3%) were compared to patients with endotracheal intubation (n = 347, 73.7%). Analyzed variables included age, gender, injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale, number of ribs fractured, total fractures of ribs, prevalence of bilateral rib fractures, flail chest, clavicle fractures, MFM, TBI, CVT, co-injuries, comorbidities, RF treatment options, hospital length of stay (HLOS), intensive care unit LOS (ICULOS), duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV).

RESULTS

Tracheostomized compared to intubated patients had statistically higher ISS, more ribs fractured, total fractures of the ribs, bilateral and clavicle fractures, MFM, spine, chest, and orthopedic co-injuries and longer HLOS, ICULOS and DMV. Tracheostomy for thoracic reasons was performed in 64 patients (51.6%) and for extra-thoracic reasons in 60 patients (48.4%). Mean tracheostomy timing was 9.9 days and was significantly shorter in the extra-thoracic compared to the thoracic group (8.0 versus 11.6 days, p < 0.001). All chest trauma scoring system values were significantly higher in tracheostomized patients. Predictive values of scoring systems for tracheostomy increased in patients with thoracic trauma only.

CONCLUSIONS

A quarter of mechanically ventilated patients with RF required tracheostomy. Tracheostomized compared to intubated patients were more severely injured with more ribs fractured and were intubated longer. An increased amount of RF was associated with an increase in tracheostomies, especially for thoracic reasons.