Traumatic rib fractures: a marker of severe injury. A nationwide study using the National Trauma Data Bank

Fracture Mapping in High-Energy Chest Trauma

Background: High-energy chest trauma often results in rib fractures and associated chest injuries. This study explored fracture distribution patterns in high-energy chest trauma, using three-dimensional (3D) fracture mapping technology. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed cases of high-energy chest trauma with rib fractures treated at a Level 1 Trauma Center, from February 2012 to January 2023. Specifically, 3D computed tomography (CT) was used to reconstruct rib fractures and create fracture-frequency heat maps, analyzing the influence of other thoracic fractures on rib fracture distribution. Results: Rib fractures were frequently found in the anterior and posterior thoracic areas. On average, patients sustained 7 ± 3.87 rib fractures, with clavicle fractures in 25.5% and scapular fractures in 19.6% of cases. Scapular fractures led to more posterior rib fractures, while sternal fractures were associated with more anterior rib fractures. Clavicle fractures were linked to fractures of the first to third ribs. Conclusions: Rib fractures in high-energy chest trauma occurred most often in the anterior and posterior regions. Fractures of the scapula and sternum influence the positioning of the fracture lines. Clavicular fractures are associated with a higher incidence of upper rib fractures. These findings can help inform surgical decisions and complication management.

The Earlier the Better: Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures Associated With Improved Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) has been associated with lower rates of mortality and fewer respiratory complications. This study sought to evaluate the association between SSRF timing and patient outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis included patients aged ≥45 y who underwent SSRF in the Trauma Quality Improvement Program database from 2016 to 2020. Primary outcome was incidence of ventilator-assisted pneumonia (VAP). Secondary outcomes included acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), unplanned endotracheal intubation, in-hospital mortality, failure to rescue (FTR) after all major complications, and FTR after severe respiratory complications. Logistic regression models of outcomes on timing to SSRF were fit while controlling for age, gender, body mass index, injury severity score, flail chest, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and smoking.

RESULTS

Among 4667 patients who received SSRF, average time to SSRF was 4.6 ± 3.2 d. Each additional day to SSRF was associated with increased odds of VAP (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.11) and intubation (OR 1.10, CI 1.08-1.13). A longer time to SSRF was associated with increased odds of ARDS (OR 1.10, CI 1.05-1.15), while no significant association was observed for in-hospital mortality (OR 0.99, CI 0.93-1.04). A longer time to SSRF was associated with decreased odds of FTR after a major complication (OR 0.90, CI 0.83-0.97) and respiratory complications (OR 0.87, CI 0.78-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS

For each day that SSRF is delayed, increased odds of VAP, intubation, and ARDS were observed. Prompt intervention is crucial for preventing these complications and improving our ability to rescue patients.

Age-Neutral Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures: Breaking the Ageism Barrier

INTRODUCTION

Surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) is associated with lower rates of mortality and fewer complications. This study evaluates whether the decision to undergo SSRF is associated with age, race, ethnicity, and insurance status and assesses associated clinical outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis included patients ≥45 y old with rib fractures who underwent SSRF in the Trauma Quality Improvement Program from 2016 to 2020. Race, ethnicity, and insurance statuses were collected. Age in years was dichotomized into two groups: 45-64 and 65+. Outcomes included ventilator-associated pneumonia, unplanned endotracheal intubation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, in-hospital mortality, failure to rescue (FTR) after major complications, and FTR after respiratory complications. Logistic regression models were fit to evaluate outcomes, controlling for gender, body mass index, Injury Severity Score, flail chest, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and smoking.

RESULTS

Two thousand eight hundred thirty-nine patients aged 45-64 and 1828 patients aged 65+ underwent SSRF. No significant difference in clinical outcomes was noted between these groups. Analysis showed that the association of SSRF with ventilator-associated pneumonia, unplanned intubation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, in-hospital mortality, FTR after a major complication, or FTR after a respiratory complication did not vary by age (P > 0.05). Black (odds ratio [OR] 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-0.77; P < 0.001), Hispanic (OR 0.80; 95% CI: 0.71-0.91; P < 0.001), and Medicaid (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.76-0.95; P = 0.005) patients were less likely to receive SSRF.

CONCLUSIONS

No differences in clinical outcomes were measured between adults aged 45-64 and ≥65 who underwent SSRF. Older age should not preclude patients from receiving SSRF. Further work is needed to improve underutilization in Black, Hispanic and Medicaid patients.

RibFractureSys: A gem in the face of acute rib fracture diagnoses

Rib fracture patients, common in trauma wards, have different mortality rates and comorbidities depending on how many and which ribs are fractured. This knowledge is therefore paramount to make accurate prognoses and prioritize patient care. However, tracking 24 ribs over upwards 200+ frames in a patient's scan is time-consuming and error-prone for radiologists, especially depending on their experience. We propose an automated, modular, three-stage solution to assist radiologists. Using 9 fully annotated patient scans, we trained a multi-class U-Net to segment rib lesions and common anatomical clutter. To recognize rib fractures and mitigate false positives, we fine-tuned a ResNet-based model using 5698 false positives, 2037 acute fractures, 4786 healed fractures, and 14,904 unfractured rib lesions. Using almost 200 patient cases, we developed a highly task-customized multi-object rib lesion tracker to determine which lesions in a frame belong to which of the 12 ribs on either side; bounding box intersection over union- and centroid-based tracking, a line-crossing methodology, and various heuristics were utilized. Our system accepts an axial CT scan and processes, labels, and color-codes the scan. Over an internal validation dataset of 1000 acute rib fracture and 1000 control patients, our system, assessed by a 3-year radiologist resident, achieved 96.1% and 97.3% correct fracture classification accuracy for rib fracture and control patients, respectively. However, 18.0% and 20.8% of these patients, respectively, had incorrect rib labeling. Percentages remained consistent across sex and age demographics. Labeling issues include anatomical clutter being mislabeled as ribs and ribs going unlabeled.

Does PIC score pick correctly? Evaluation of a modified-PIC based admission a single institution retrospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

The Pain, Inspiratory effort, Cough score (PIC) has been developed and widely adopted to guide clinical prognostication for patients with chest wall injury. To date, the efficacy, accuracy, and safety of a PIC based triage system has not been validated. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the use of a modified-PIC score to triage and down-grade trauma patients with chest wall injury at a single institution.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted at a large, Level I Trauma Center on patients with chest wall injuries admitted between 1/1/2018-10/31/20,222. On 12/1/2020, our institution implemented a modified-PIC triage tool including the PIC score, age, and severity of chest wall injury. The Pre-PIC (1/1/2018-11/20/2020) and Post-PIC (1/1/2021-10/31/2022) groups were composed based on admission date and outcomes between the two were compared.

RESULTS

2,627 patients comprised the Pre-PIC group and 2,212 patients comprised Post-PIC. The groups didn't differ significantly in demographics or mechanisms of injury except for COVID status. Post-intervention, a greater proportion of patients were triaged to the intermediate care unit instead of the ICU or floor. There were no significant differences in hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, unplanned ICU admission, or mortality in Pre-PIC vs Post-PIC. ICU LOS, rates of ARDS, and cardiac arrest with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were significantly lower in Post-PIC. Multivariable models demonstrated significantly lower ARDS rates and ICU free days. ICU LOS trended towards significance as well.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the largest study, to date, evaluating the impact of a modified-PIC triage system on clinical outcomes. The results suggest a modified-PIC triage system may lead to decreased ICU days, ARDS rates, and rates of cardiac arrest w/ ROSC, potentially improving hospital resource allocation. Further prospective and multi-center studies are needed to validate our understanding on the impact of a chest wall scoring system on triage and outcomes.

Predictors of opioid use for rib fractures in a regional Australian hospital

BACKGROUND

Rib fractures (RFs) are the leading type of single serious injury in New South Wales trauma patients. Uncontrolled pain drives the sequelae of atelectasis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death in severe cases. Opioids are the mainstay of management; however, they carry numerous adverse effects. Understanding patient or injury factors which predict opioid requirement is important to tailor management. Existing evidence is limited to metropolitan trauma centres (MTCs).

METHODS

We conducted an observational, retrospective, single-centre cohort study of all admissions to Albury Wodonga Health diagnosed with one or more RFs and discharged between January 1st, 2017, and December 31st, 2022, inclusive. Data collected included demographics, injury characteristics, and management, including analgesia. LASSO regression was performed to determine predictors of average daily opioid use for the first five days of admission in oral morphine equivalents (mg). R2 and root mean square error (RMSE) were calculated to assess model performance.

RESULTS

We included 624 patients. LASSO selected number of RFs, fracture displacement score, pulmonary contusion, new injury severity score, age, chest tube use, chronic pain history, opioid history and upper or middle lateral RF location categories as predictors. Sex, middle anterior, middle posterior, and lower RF location categories were excluded by LASSO. The out of sample R2 was 28.6 %. On the scale of log OME, the RMSE was 1.08.

CONCLUSION

The model is effective at identifying predictors of opioid use in this regional centre, which are similar to those described in evidence from MTCs. However, the low R2 with wide prediction intervals limits its utility on an individual level.

The Effects of Pulmonary Risk Factors and Combination Thoracic Osseous Fractures on Mortality and Outcomes of Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures

BACKGROUND

Rib fixation for traumatic rib fractures is advocated to decrease morbidity and mortality in select patient populations. We intended to investigate the effect of combination osseous thoracic injuries on mortality with the hypothesis that combination injuries will worsen overall mortality and that SSRF will improve outcomes in combination injuries and in high-risk patients.

METHODS

Patients with rib fractures were identified from the Trauma Quality Improvement Project registry from 2019. Patients were then divided into rib fracture(s) alone or in combination with sternal, thoracic vertebra, or scapula fracture. Patients were also categorized into those with COPD and smokers. Patients with AIS >3 outside of thorax were excluded. Patients were subcategorized into those who had rib fixation verse nonoperative management for all subgroups. Analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy of rib fixation.

RESULTS

A total of 111,066 patients were included for analysis. The overall mortality was 1.4%. Patients with COPD had over double the mortality risk, with an overall mortality of 3.4%. Combination injuries did not appear to increase mortality. SSRF did not decrease mortality; however, the number of patients in this group was too small to complete statistical analysis. The overall complication rate was 0.43%. There was a trend towards an increase in extrapulmonary complications in the group that underwent surgical fixation.

DISCUSSION

Mortality from rib fractures with concomitant osseous thoracic fracture appears to be low. However, mortality is increased in patients with COPD regardless of rib fracture pattern. The number of patients who underwent SSRF was too small to make a statistical comparison.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Rib Fracture Patients in Michigan

This study aims to compare outcomes of rib fracture patients with and without COVID-19 in Michigan. Data from the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program (MTQIP) identified adults hospitalized from January 1, 2020, to October 31, 2022, with at least one rib fracture and a completed COVID-19 test on admission. Patients were propensity score matched 1:1 using 20 variables. The primary outcome was hospital length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes were mortality, ventilator days, intensive care unit (ICU) LOS, pneumonia, and ventilator-assisted pneumonia (VAP). 13,305 total patients were identified. 232 patients matched into both the COVID+ and COVID- groups. COVID was associated with increased LOS (7 days vs. 5 days, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups when evaluating secondary outcomes. Our study indicates that although COVID-19 infection is associated with increased LOS, COVID may not contribute to additional morbidity or mortality in traumatic rib fracture patients.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultra-Low Dose CT Compared to Standard Dose CT for Identification of Fresh Rib Fractures by Deep Learning Algorithm

The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultra-low dose computed tomography (ULD-CT) compared to standard dose computed tomography (SD-CT) in discerning recent rib fractures using a deep learning algorithm detection of rib fractures (DLADRF). A total of 158 patients undergoing forensic diagnosis for rib fractures were included in this study: 50 underwent SD-CT, and 108 were assessed using ULD-CT. Junior and senior radiologists independently evaluated the images to identify and characterize the rib fractures. The sensitivity of rib fracture diagnosis by radiologists and radiologist + DLADRF was better using SD-CT than ULD-CT. However, the diagnosis sensitivity of DLADRF using ULD-CT alone was slightly more than SD-CT. Nonetheless, no substantial differences were observed in specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value between SD-CT and ULD-CT by the same radiologist, radiologist + DLADRF, and DLADRF (P > 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic indicated that senior radiologist + DLADRF was significantly better than senior and junior radiologists, junior radiologists + DLADRF, and DLADRF alone using SD-CT or ULD-CT (all P < 0.05). Also, junior radiologists + DLADRF was better with ULD-CT than senior and junior radiologists (P < 0.05). The AUC of the rib fracture diagnosed by senior radiologists did not differ from DLADRF using ULD-CT. Also, no significant differences were observed between junior + AI and senior and between junior and DLADRF using SD-CT. DLADRF enhanced the diagnostic performance of radiologists in detecting recent rib fractures. The diagnostic outcomes between SD-CT and ULD-CT across radiologists' experience and DLADRF did not differ significantly.

A deep learning-based pipeline for developing multi-rib shape generative model with populational percentiles or anthropometrics as predictors

Rib cross-sectional shapes (characterized by the outer contour and cortical bone thickness) affect the rib mechanical response under impact loading, thereby influence the rib injury pattern and risk. A statistical description of the rib shapes or their correlations to anthropometrics is a prerequisite to the development of numerical human body models representing target demographics. Variational autoencoders (VAE) as anatomical shape generators remain to be explored in terms of utilizing the latent vectors to control or interpret the representativeness of the generated results. In this paper, we propose a pipeline for developing a multi-rib cross-sectional shape generative model from CT images, which consists of the achievement of rib cross-sectional shape data from CT images using an anatomical indexing system and regular grids, and a unified framework to fit shape distributions and associate shapes to anthropometrics for different rib categories. Specifically, we collected CT images including 3193 ribs, surface regular grid is generated for each rib based on anatomical coordinates, the rib cross-sectional shapes are characterized by nodal coordinates and cortical bone thickness. The tensor structure of shape data based on regular grids enable the implementation of CNNs in the conditional variational autoencoder (CVAE). The CVAE is trained against an auxiliary classifier to decouple the low-dimensional representations of the inter- and intra- variations and fit each intra-variation by a Gaussian distribution simultaneously. Random tree regressors are further leveraged to associate each continuous intra-class space with the corresponding anthropometrics of the subjects, i.e., age, height and weight. As a result, with the rib class labels and the latent vectors sampled from Gaussian distributions or predicted from anthropometrics as the inputs, the decoder can generate valid rib cross-sectional shapes of given class labels (male/female, 2nd to 11th ribs) for arbitrary populational percentiles or specific age, height and weight, which paves the road for future biomedical and biomechanical studies considering the diversity of rib shapes across the population.

[Diagnosis of Rib Fracture Using Artificial Intelligence on Chest CT Images of Patients with Chest Trauma]

Purpose

To determine the pros and cons of an artificial intelligence (AI) model developed to diagnose acute rib fractures in chest CT images of patients with chest trauma.

Materials and Methods

A total of 1209 chest CT images (acute rib fracture [n = 1159], normal [n = 50]) were selected among patients with chest trauma. Among 1159 acute rib fracture CT images, 9 were randomly selected for AI model training. 150 acute rib fracture CT images and 50 normal ones were tested, and the remaining 1000 acute rib fracture CT images was internally verified. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy and errors of AI model for the presence and location of acute rib fractures.

Results

Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for diagnosing acute rib fractures in chest CT images were 93.3%, 94%, 97.9%, 82.5%, and 95.6% respectively. However, the accuracy of the location of acute rib fractures was low at 76% (760/1000). The cause of error in the diagnosis of acute rib fracture seemed to be a result of considering the scapula or clavicle that were in the same position (66%) or some ribs that were not recognized (34%).

Conclusion

The AI model for diagnosing acute rib fractures showed high accuracy in detecting the presence of acute rib fractures, but diagnosis of the exact location of rib fractures was limited.

Chest trauma clinical practice guideline protects against delirium in patients with rib fractures

Introduction

Traumatic rib fractures present a considerable risk to patient well-being, contributing to morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. To address the risks associated with rib fractures, evidence-based interventions have been implemented, including effective pain management, pulmonary hygiene, and early walking. Vancouver General Hospital, a level 1 trauma center in British Columbia, Canada, developed a comprehensive multidisciplinary chest trauma clinical practice guideline (CTCPG) to optimize the management of patients with rib fractures. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the impact of the CTCPG on pain management interventions and patient outcomes.

Methods

The study involved patients admitted between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 (post-CTCPG cohort) and a historical control group admitted between November 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 (pre-CTCPG cohort). Patient data were collected from patient charts and the British Columbia Trauma Registry, including demographics, injury characteristics, pain management interventions, and relevant outcomes.

Results

Implementation of the CTCPG resulted in an increased use of multimodal pain therapy (99.4% vs 96.1%; p=0.03) and a significant reduction in the incidence of delirium in the post-CTCPG cohort (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.80, p=0.0099). There were no significant differences in hospital length of stay, ICU (intensive care unit) days, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation requirement, ventilator days, pneumonia incidence, or mortality between the two cohorts.

Discussion

Adoption of a CTCPG improved chest trauma management by enhancing pain management and reducing the incidence of delirium. Further research, including multicenter studies, is warranted to validate these findings and explore additional potential benefits of the CTCPG in the management of chest trauma patients.

Level of evidence

IIb.

Nonoperative treatment of multiple rib fractures, the results to beat: International multicenter prospective cohort study among 845 patients

BACKGROUND

Optimal treatment (i.e., nonoperative or operative) for patients with multiple rib fractures remains debated. Studies that compare treatments are rationalized by the alleged poor outcomes of nonoperative treatment.

METHODS

The aim of this prospective international multicenter cohort study (between January 2018 and March 2021) with 1-year follow-up, was to report contemporary outcomes of nonoperatively treated patients with multiple rib fractures. Including 845 patients with three or more rib fractures. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (HLOS), (pulmonary) complications, and quality of life.

RESULTS

Mean age was 57.7 ± 17.0 years, median Injury Severity Score was 17 (13-22) and the median number of rib fractures was 6 (4-8). In-hospital mortality rate was 1.5% (n = 13), 112 (13.3%) patients had pneumonia and four (0.5%) patients developed a symptomatic nonunion. The median HLOS was 7 days (4-13 days), and median intensive care unit length of stay was 2 days (1-5 days). Mean 5-Level Quality of Life Questionnaire index value was 0.83 ± 0.18 1 year after trauma. Polytrauma patients had a median HLOS of 10 days (6-18 days), a pneumonia rate of 17.6% (n = 77) and mortality rate of 1.7% (n = 7). Elderly patients (≥65 years) had a median HLOS of 9 days (5-15 days), a pneumonia rate of 19.7% (n = 57) and mortality rate of 4.1% (n = 12).

CONCLUSION

Overall, nonoperative treatment of patients with multiple rib fractures shows low mortality and morbidity rate and good quality of life after 1 year. Future studies evaluating the benefit of operative stabilization should use contemporary outcomes to establish the therapeutic margin of rib fixation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Development and evaluation of a deep learning-based model for simultaneous detection and localization of rib and clavicle fractures in trauma patients' chest radiographs

Purpose

To develop a rib and clavicle fracture detection model for chest radiographs in trauma patients using a deep learning (DL) algorithm.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively collected 56 145 chest X-rays (CXRs) from trauma patients in a trauma center between August 2008 and December 2016. A rib/clavicle fracture detection DL algorithm was trained using this data set with 991 (1.8%) images labeled by experts with fracture site locations. The algorithm was tested on independently collected 300 CXRs in 2017. An external test set was also collected from hospitalized trauma patients in a regional hospital for evaluation. The receiver operating characteristic curve with area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and negative predictive value of the model on each test set was evaluated. The prediction probability on the images was visualized as heatmaps.

Results

The trained DL model achieved an AUC of 0.912 (95% CI 87.8 to 94.7) on the independent test set. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity on the given cut-off value are 83.7, 86.8, and 80.4, respectively. On the external test set, the model had a sensitivity of 88.0 and an accuracy of 72.5. While the model exhibited a slight decrease in accuracy on the external test set, it maintained its sensitivity in detecting fractures.

Conclusion

The algorithm detects rib and clavicle fractures concomitantly in the CXR of trauma patients with high accuracy in locating lesions through heatmap visualization.

Analgesia for rib fractures: a narrative review

PURPOSE

Rib fracture(s) is a common and painful injury often associated with significant morbidity (e.g., respiratory complications) and high mortality rates, especially in the elderly. Risk stratification and prompt implementation of analgesic pathways using a multimodal analgesia approach comprise a primary endpoint of care to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with rib fractures. This narrative review aims to describe the most recent evidence and care pathways currently available, including risk stratification tools and pharmacologic and regional analgesic blocks frequently used as part of the broadly recommended multimodal analgesic approach.

SOURCE

Available literature was searched using PubMed and Embase databases for each topic addressed herein and reviewed by content experts.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Four risk stratification tools were identified, with the Study of the Management of Blunt Chest Wall Trauma score as most predictive. Current evidence on pharmacologic (i.e., acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentinoids, ketamine, lidocaine, and dexmedetomidine) and regional analgesia (i.e., thoracic epidural analgesia, thoracic paravertebral block, erector spinae plane block, and serratus anterior plane block) techniques was reviewed, as was the pathophysiology of rib fracture(s) and its associated complications, including the development of chronic pain and disabilities.

CONCLUSION

Rib fracture(s) continues to be a serious diagnosis, with high rates of mortality, development of chronic pain, and disability. A multidisciplinary approach to management, combined with appropriate analgesia and adherence to care bundles/protocols, has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality. Most of the risk-stratifying care pathways identified perform poorly in predicting mortality and complications after rib fracture(s).

Attempted repair of chest wall injury following penetrating injury with surgical stabilization rib and autologous bone graft: A case report

Rib fractures are one of the most common injuries following blunt trauma. When associated with penetrating trauma, the projectile velocity and immense energy transfer cause significant rib fracture displacement and fragmentation. As a result, these patients are potentially exposed to an even higher risk of complications compared to those seen in more simple rib fractures. Unfortunately, there is limited research regarding technical considerations for surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) in severely displaced rib fractures with bone loss following penetrating injury. We present the case of a 21-year-old male gunshot wound victim with severely displaced and comminuted rib fractures in which we utilized an autologous bone graft bridge during SSRF to enhance fracture unionization, chest wall stability, and cosmesis. Unfortunately, the bone graft failed to incorporate into surrounding tissue.

Trends in the incidence of rib and sternal fractures: A nationwide study of the global burden of disease database, 1990-2019

INTRODUCTION

Fractures of the ribs and sternum are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Characterization of the injury burden across England is necessary to inform and evaluate developments in trauma care and infrastructure, however is yet to be comprehensively undertaken. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe trends in the incidence of sternal and rib fractures across England between 1990 and 2019.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Age-standardised incidence rates (ASIRs) for rib and sternal fractures in males and females were extracted from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study by all causes, falls and road traffic collisions for 9 sub-regions of England. Temporal trends within the study period were analysed using Joinpoint regression analysis.

RESULTS

The overall ASIRs in England in 2019 were 30.34/100,000 and 46.02/100,000 for females and males, respectively. Between 1990 and 2019, the estimated overall percentage change across England was +0.20 % among females and -7.05 % among males. A statistically significant increase in ASIR was observed in all 9 sub-regions of England among females from 2014-2019 (p<0.001). Among males, a statistically significant increase in ASIR was observed in 7 of the 9 regions from 2014-2019 (p<0.001) and in the remaining 2 regions from 2015-2019 (p<0.001).

DISCUSSION

Increasing ASIRs of rib and sternal fractures were observed among females and decreasing ASIRs among males, with overall ASIRs higher among males. Developments in trauma infrastructure and associated variations in diagnostic and management strategies over the observation period likely contribute to changes in the national injury burden. The findings are suggestive of the importance of ongoing financial investment in trauma infrastructure and of clear clinical guidelines to manage an increasing national injury burden.

Timing to Rib Fixation in Patients With Flail Chest

INTRODUCTION

Flail chest (FC) after blunt trauma is associated with significant morbidity and prolonged hospitalizations. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between timing of rib fixation (ORIF) and pulmonary morbidity and mortality in patients with FC.

METHODS

FC patients were identified from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program database over 3-year, ending 2019. Demographics, severity of injury and shock, time to ORIF, pulmonary morbidity, and mortality were recorded. Youden's index identified optimal time to ORIF. Patients were compared based on undergoing ORIF versus nonoperative management, then for patients undergoing ORIF based on time from admission to operation, utilizing Youden's index to determine the preferred time for fixation. Multivariable logistic regression determined predictors of pulmonary morbidity and mortality.

RESULTS

20,457 patients were identified: 3347 (16.4%) underwent ORIF. The majority were male (73%) with median age and injury severity score of 58 and 22, respectively. Patients undergoing ORIF were clinically similar to those managed nonoperatively but had increased pulmonary morbidity (27.6 versus 15.2%, P < 0.0001) and reduced mortality (2.9 versus 11.7%, P < 0.0001). Multivariable logistic regression identified ORIF as the only modifiable risk factor significantly associated with reduced mortality (odds ratio: 0.26; 95% CI:0.21-0.32, P < 0.0001). Youden's index identified the inflection point for time to ORIF as 4 d postinjury: EARLY (≤4 d) and LATE (>4 d). EARLY fixation was associated with a significant decrease in ventilator days, intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, and pulmonary morbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing ORIF for FC experienced increased pulmonary morbidity; however, had an associated reduced mortality benefit compared to the nonoperative cohort. EARLY ORIF was associated with a reduction in pulmonary morbidity, without impacting the mortality benefit found with ORIF. Thus, for patients with FC, ORIF performed within 4 d postinjury may help reduce pulmonary morbidity, length of stay, and mortality.

Comparative Analysis of Intravenous Opioids Versus Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia in Fractured Rib Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Rib fractures, common among trauma victims, lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Managing the associated pain is challenging, with IV opioids and thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) being utilized. While epidural analgesia is often preferred for fractured rib pain, existing data encompasses both lumbar and thoracic approaches. This review aimed to compare TEA and IV opioids for persistent rib fracture pain. A comprehensive search across five databases yielded 987 articles, of which seven met the eligibility criteria. Outcomes were categorized into primary (pain reduction) and secondary (mortality, hospital/ICU stays, analgesia-related complications) endpoints. Analyzed with Review Manager (RevMan) Version 5.4.1 (2020; The Cochrane Collaboration, London, United Kingdom), the pooled data from two sources showed TEA significantly more effective in reducing pain than IV opioids (standardized mean difference (SMD): 2.23; 95%CI: 1.65-2.82; p < 0.00001). Similarly, TEA was associated with shorter ICU stays (SMD: 0.73; 95%CI: 0.33-1.13; p = 0.0004), while hospitalization duration showed no substantial difference (SMD: 0.82; 95%CI: -0.34-1.98). Mortality rates also did not significantly differ between TEA and IV opioids (risk ratio (RR): 1.20; 95%CI: 0.36-4.01; p = 0.77). Subgroup analysis revealed fewer pneumonia cases with TEA (RR: 2.06; 95%CI: 1.07-3.96; P = 0.03), with no notable disparities in other complications. While TEA's superiority in pain relief for rib fractures suggests it is the preferred analgesic, the recommendation's strength is tempered by the low methodological quality of supporting articles.

Surgical versus non-surgical treatment of flail chest: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

Conflicting evidence exists on the choice of surgical or non-surgical treatment of flail chest injuries. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis comparing outcomes in patients presenting flail chest undergoing surgical or non-surgical treatment.

METHODS

Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing surgery to no surgery in patients with acute unstable chest wall injuries. We computed weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RRs) for binary endpoints, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Random effects meta-analyses were performed. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics.

RESULTS

Six RCTs (544 patients) were included, and surgical treatment was used in 269 (49.4%). Compared to no surgery, surgery reduced mechanical ventilation days (WMD - 4.34, 95% CI - 6.98, - 1.69; p < 0.01; I2 = 87%; GRADE: very low; PI - 13.51, 4.84); length of intensive care unit stay (WMD - 4.62, 95% CI - 7.19, - 2.05; p < 0.01; I2 = 78%; GRADE: low; PI - 12.86, 3.61) and the incidence of pneumonia (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.31, 0.81; p = 0.005; I2 = 54%; GRADE: moderate; PI 0.13, 1.91). No difference in mortality (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.19, 1.65; p = 0.27; I2 = 23%; GRADE: moderate; PI 0.04, 7.25), length of hospital stay (WMD - 5.39, 95% CI - 11.38, - 0.60; p = 0.08; I2 = 89%; GRADE: very low; PI - 11.38, 0.60), or need for tracheostomy (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.34, 1.03; p = 0.06; I2 = 54%; GRADE: moderate; PI 0.11, 3.24) was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that surgical treatment is advantageous compared to non-surgical treatment for patients with flail chest secondary to rib fractures.

Delayed hemothorax readmissions after rib fracture in blunt trauma patients

Background

Rib fractures are the most common traumatic injury. Hemothorax is one of the widespread complications associated with a rib fracture and occurs in 10-37 % of all rib fractures. Delayed hemothorax (DHTX) is defined as an accumulation of blood within the pleural cavity. Although there is extensive literature on hemothorax, there is limited literature on rib fractures and DHTX readmissions. The objective of this study was to identify potential risk factors for DHTX readmission and examine descriptive information on readmission.

Methods

Using the 2016-2019 National Readmission Database (NRD), patients that experienced an admission with a blunt traumatic rib fracture were included. It was determined if the patients experienced DHTX by screening for an admission containing an ICD-10 code for hemothorax within 30 days after an admission containing a ICD-10 code for rib fracture. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed to determine independent risk factors associated with DHTX readmission. Additionally, information on the clinical and financial characteristics of DHTX readmissions were examined.

Results

A total of 242,071 patients were included, of whom 635 experienced DHTX readmission ≤30 days after discharge. Diagnosed with hemothorax on the index admission had the largest odds ratio for DHTX readmission (7.43 [6.14-8.99], P < 0.001). Complications found during DHTX readmission included acute respiratory failure (16.9 %), sepsis (6.9 %), and empyema (4.3 %). Treatment mainly consisted of pleural drainage (62.2 %) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) evacuation of hemothorax (10.1 %).

Conclusion

Patients admitted for a rib fracture have a low incidence for DHTX readmission within 30 days. However, multivariable analysis has demonstrated some risk and protective factors associated with DHTX readmission. Further studies should focus on exploring these risk factors to screen for potential DHTX readmission and/or protective factors to decrease the change for DHTX readmission.

Incidence and outcomes of major trauma patients with thoracic injuries and rib fractures in Aotearoa New Zealand

INTRODUCTION

Thoracic trauma represents a significant burden of disease in Aotearoa, New Zealand (AoNZ). To date, no study has examined the incidence or outcomes of patients suffering major thoracic trauma, or major trauma and rib fractures in AoNZ.

METHODS

A 6 year retrospective study of all major trauma (Injury Severity Score >12) patients in AoNZ was performed. The National Trauma Registry was searched to identify patients. The National Minimum Data Set was searched for all ICD-10 codes associated with surgical stabilisation of rib fractures (SSRF). Poisson regression was used to determine the change in incidence rate over the study period adjusted for age with the logarithm of population size as the offset variable. The incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.

RESULTS

12,218 patients sustained major trauma. 7,059 (57.8%) of these patients sustained thoracic injuries. Of these patients, 5,585 (79.1%) sustained rib fractures, and 180 (3.2%) proceeded to SSRF. A flail segment was observed in 16% of patients with rib fractures. Transport was the mechanism of injury in 53% of patients. During the study the incidence (cases per 100,000 people per year) of major trauma increased from 39.5 to 49.3 (IRR 1.05, 95%CI 1.04 to 1.07, <0.001), the incidence of thoracic injuries from 21.3 to 28.7 (1.07, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.08, <0.001) and the incidence of rib fractures from 16.0 to 22.9 (1.08, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.09, <0.001). SSRF was performed in 3.2% of patients with rib fractures and increased from 0.2 to 0.8 cases per 100,000 people per year (1.27, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.41, <0.001) during the study.

CONCLUSION

This study reports the incidence of major trauma patients with thoracic injury, major trauma patients with rib fractures and the incidence of SSRF in AoNZ. Transport related injuries are the predominant mechanism of injury. The incidence of SSRF was low across AoNZ. To improve the quality of care in AoNZ for major trauma patients with rib fractures, consideration should be made to create national guidelines and robust referral pathways to specialist centres that provide multidisciplinary care including performing SSRF.

Oblique Axis Rib Stretch and Curved Planar Reformats in Patients for Rib Fracture Detection and Characterization: Feasibility and Clinical Application

Objective

To assess the use of CT with oblique axis rib stretch (OARS) and curved planar reformats (CPRs) for rib fracture detection and characterization.

Methods

A total of 108 forensically diagnosed patients with rib fractures were evaluated retrospectively. OARS and CPRs were independently used during the diagnosis in two groups. In each group, the final diagnosis was made after a junior radiologist's initial diagnosis was reviewed by a senior radiologist. The images were evaluated for the presence and characterization of rib fractures.

Results

A total of 2,592 ribs were analyzed, and 326 fractured ribs and 345 fracture sites were diagnosed using reference standard. Two groups of radiologists identified 331 and 333 fracture sites using the OARS method, 291 and 288 fracture sites using the CPRs method, and 274 fracture sites in forensically diagnosed patients (CR: conventional reconstruction), respectively; and all missed diagnoses were nondisplaced rib fractures. The ROC Az value of OARS1,2 was 0.98, which is higher than CPRs1,2 0.91, and CR 0.90 (all p < 0.01). The Az value for detecting rib fractures using CPRs1,2 and CR has no statistical difference (p = 0.14 and 0.29). More misdiagnosed patients were found using CPRs1,2 (42 and 44 cases) than OARS1,2 (1 and 2 cases) and CR (2 cases). The displaced fracture detection ratio of all methods showed no difference.

Conclusions

Doctors using the OARS method could improve diagnostic performance for detecting rib fractures without the requirement of specialized software and workstation when compared with CPRs.

In patients with combined clavicle and multiple rib fractures, does fracture fixation of the clavicle improve clinical outcomes? A multicenter prospective cohort study of 232 patients

BACKGROUND

Clavicle and rib fractures are often sustained concomitantly. The combination of injuries may result in decreased stability of the chest wall, making these patients prone to (respiratory) complications and prolonged hospitalization. This study aimed to assess whether adding chest wall stability by performing clavicle fixation improves clinical outcomes in patients with concurrent clavicle and rib fractures.

METHODS

A prospective multicenter study was performed including all adult patients admitted between January 2018 and March 2021 with concurrent ipsilateral clavicle and rib fractures. Patients treated operatively versus nonoperatively for their clavicle fracture were matched using propensity score matching. The primary outcome was hospital length of stay (HLOS). Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, pain, complications, and quality of life at 6 weeks and 12 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

In total, 232 patients with concomitant ipsilateral clavicle and rib fractures were included. Fifty-two patients (22%) underwent operative treatment of which 39 could be adequately matched to 39 nonoperatively treated patients. No association was observed between clavicle plate fixation and HLOS (mean difference, 2.3 days; 95% confidence interval, -2.1 to 6.8; p = 0.301) or any secondary endpoint. Eight of the 180 nonoperatively treated patients (4%) had a symptomatic nonunion, for which 5 underwent secondary clavicle fixation.

CONCLUSION

We found no evidence that, in patients with combined clavicle and multiple rib fractures, plate fixation of the clavicle reduces HLOS, pain, or (pulmonary) complications, nor that it improves quality of life.

STUDY TYPE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Quality of life and clinical outcomes of operatively treated patients with flail chest injuries: A multicentre prospective cohort study

Introduction

Most studies about rib fractures focus on mortality and morbidity. Literature is scarce on long term and quality of life (QoL) outcomes. Therefore, we report QoL and long-term outcomes after rib fixation in flail chest patients.

Methods

A prospective cohort study of clinical flail chest patients admitted to six level 1 trauma centres in the Netherlands and Switzerland between January 2018 and March 2021. Outcomes included in-hospital outcomes and long-term outcomes, such as QoL measurements 12 months after hospitalization using the EuroQoL five dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire.

Results

Sixty-one operatively treated flail chest patients were included. Median hospital length of stay was 15 days and intensive care length of stay was 8 days. Sixteen (26%) patients developed pneumonia and two (3%) died. One year after hospitalization the mean EQ5D score was 0.78. Complication rates were low and included hemothorax (6%) pleural effusion (5%) and two revisions of the implant (3%). Implant related irritation was commonly reported by patients (n = 15, 25%).

Conclusions

Rib fixation for flail chest injuries can be considered a safe procedure and with low mortality rates. Future studies should focus on quality of life rather than solely short-term outcomes.

Trial registration: Registered in the Netherlands Trial Register NTR6833 on 13/11/2017 and the Swiss Ethics Committees Registration Number 2019-00668

Blood Count-Derived Inflammatory Markers Correlate with Lengthier Hospital Stay and Are Predictors of Pneumothorax Risk in Thoracic Trauma Patients

(1) Background: Trauma is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with the chest being the third most frequent body part injured after abdominal and head trauma. Identifying and predicting injuries related to the trauma mechanism is the initial step in managing significant thoracic trauma. The purpose of this study is to assess the predictive capabilities of blood count-derived inflammatory markers at admission. (2) Materials and Methods: The current study was designed as an observational, analytical, retrospective cohort study. It included all patients over the age of 18 diagnosed with thoracic trauma, confirmed with a CT scan, and admitted to the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Targu Mureş, Romania. (3) Results: The occurrence of posttraumatic pneumothorax is highly linked to age (p = 0.002), tobacco use (p = 0.01), and obesity (p = 0.01). Furthermore, high values of all hematological ratios, such as the NLR, MLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI, are directly associated with the occurrence of pneumothorax (p < 0.001). Furthermore, increased values of the NLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI at admission predict a lengthier hospitalization (p = 0.003). (4) Conclusions: Increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), aggregate inflammatory systemic index (AISI), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) levels at admission highly predict the occurrence of pneumothorax, according to our data.

Open reduction internal fixation of rib fractures: a biomechanical comparison between the RibLoc U Plus® system and anterior plate in rib implants

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we assessed the bending strength of two surgical repairs of rib fracture using RibLoc^® U Plus system made by Acute Innovations and the anterior plate by Synthes.

METHODS

After a rib fracture was created in seven pairs of cadaveric rib specimens, one side was repaired with the anterior plate and the other side repaired with the RibLoc U Plus^® plate. Each of the rib is loaded using a custom device over 360,000 bending cycles to simulate in vivo fatiguing related to respiration. Upon completion of the cyclic loading, the specimens were compressively loaded to failure and the failure bending moment was determined.

RESULTS

The ribs repaired with the RibLoc U Plus^® system showed 79% higher failure bending moment than that of the anterior plate, with a p value of 0.033. The ribs repaired with RibLoc U Plus^® showed a trend of less stiffness reduction over the 360,000 loading cycles.

CONCLUSION

The biomechanical study showed that the RibLoc U Plus^® system is stronger in the bending moment loading of repaired ribs, possibly due to the U-shape structure supporting both the inner and outer cortices of a repaired rib.

Convolutional neural network for detecting rib fractures on chest radiographs: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Chest radiography is the standard investigation for identifying rib fractures. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) for detecting rib fractures on chest radiographs is limited by image quality control and multilesion screening. To our knowledge, few studies have developed and verified the performance of an AI model for detecting rib fractures by using multi-center radiographs. And existing studies using chest radiographs for multiple rib fracture detection have used more complex and slower detection algorithms, so we aimed to create a multiple rib fracture detection model by using a convolutional neural network (CNN), based on multi-center and quality-normalised chest radiographs.

METHODS

A total of 1080 radiographs with rib fractures were obtained and randomly divided into the training set (918 radiographs, 85%) and the testing set (162 radiographs, 15%). An object detection CNN, You Only Look Once v3 (YOLOv3), was adopted to build the detection model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and free-response ROC (FROC) were used to evaluate the model's performance. A joint testing group of 162 radiographs with rib fractures and 233 radiographs without rib fractures was used as the internal testing set. Furthermore, an additional 201 radiographs, 121 with rib fractures and 80 without rib fractures, were independently validated to compare the CNN model performance with the diagnostic efficiency of radiologists.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of the model in the training and testing sets was 92.0% and 91.1%, respectively, and the precision was 68.0% and 81.6%, respectively. FROC in the testing set showed that the sensitivity for whole-lesion detection reached 91.3% when the false-positive of each case was 0.56. In the joint testing group, the case-level accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 85.1%, 93.2%, 79.4%, and 0.92, respectively. At the fracture level and the case level in the independent validation set, the accuracy and sensitivity of the CNN model were always higher or close to radiologists' readings.

CONCLUSIONS

The CNN model, based on YOLOv3, was sensitive for detecting rib fractures on chest radiographs and showed great potential in the preliminary screening of rib fractures, which indicated that CNN can help reduce missed diagnoses and relieve radiologists' workload. In this study, we developed and verified the performance of a novel CNN model for rib fracture detection by using radiography.

Rib fractures in the elderly population: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Multiple rib fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in elderly patients. There is growing interest in surgical stabilization in this subgroup of patients. This systematic review compares conservative treatment to surgical fixation in elderly patients (older than 60 years) with multiple rib fractures. The primary outcome is mortality. Secondary outcomes include hospital and intensive care length of stay (HLOS and ILOS), duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV) and pneumonia rates.

METHODS

Multiple databases were searched for comparative studies reporting on conservative versus operative treatment for rib fractures in patients older than 60 years. Both observational studies and randomised clinical trials were considered.

RESULTS

Five observational studies (n = 2583) were included. Mortality was lower in operatively treated patients compared to conservative treatment (4% vs. 8%). Pneumonia rate and DMV were similar (5/6% and 5.8/6.5 days) for either treatment modality. Overall ILOS and HLOS of stay were longer in operatively treated patients (6.5 ILOS and 12.7 HLOS vs. 2.7 ILOS and 6.5 ILOS). There were only minimal reports on perioperative complications. Notably, the median number of rib fractures (8.4 vs. 5) and the percentage of flail chest were higher in operatively treated patients (47% vs. 39%).

CONCLUSION

It remains unknown to what extent conservative and operative treatment contribute individually to reducing morbidity and mortality in the elderly with multiple rib fractures. To date, the quality of evidence is rather low, thus well-performed comparative observational studies or randomised controlled trials considering all confounders are needed to determine whether operative treatment can improve a patient's outcome.

Non-operative vs. operative treatment for multiple rib fractures after blunt thoracic trauma: a multicenter prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Patients with multiple rib fractures without a clinical flail chest are increasingly being treated with rib fixation; however, high-quality evidence to support this development is lacking.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective multicenter observational study comparing rib fixation to non-operative treatment in all patients aged 18 years and older with computed tomography confirmed multiple rib fractures without a clinical flail chest. Three centers performed rib fixation as standard of care. For adequate comparison, the other three centers performed only non-operative treatment. As such clinical equipoise formed the basis for the comparison in this study. Patients were matched using propensity score matching.

RESULTS

In total 927 patients with multiple rib fractures were included. In the three hospitals that performed rib fixation, 80 (14%) out of 591 patients underwent rib fixation. From the nonoperative centers, on average 71 patients were adequately matched to 71 rib fixation patients after propensity score matching. Rib fixation was associated with an increase in hospital length of stay (HLOS) of 4.9 days (95%CI 0.8-9.1, p = 0.02) and a decrease in quality of life (QoL) measured by the EQ5D questionnaire at 1 year of 0.1 (95% CI - 0.2-0.0, p = 0.035) compared to non-operative treatment. A subgroup analysis of patients who received operative care within 72 h showed a similar decrease in QoL. Up to 22 patients (28%) who underwent surgery experienced implant-related irritation.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no benefits and only detrimental effects associated with rib fixation. Based on these results, we do not recommend rib fixation as the standard of care for patients with multiple rib fractures.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered in the Netherlands Trial Register NTR6833 on 13/11/2017.

Comparison of In-Hospital Outcomes of Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures with Nonsurgical Management: A Multicenter, Prospective, Cohort Study

Background

Evidence for the efficacy of surgical stabilization of rib fractures in patients with rib fractures is controversial.

Objective

We aim to compare the clinical outcomes of surgical rib fixation for rib fracture with non-operative treatment.

Methods

Our institutional database from three general hospitals (Viet Duc Hospital, Viet Tiep Friendship Hospital & Cho Ray Hospital) was queried to identify patients with flail chest treated with locked plate fixation between December 2021 and February 2023. A medical record review for demographic, injury, hospital, and surgical data was also retrospectively performed for all patients. Characteristics and outcomes of the patients receiving the surgical rib fixation for rib fracture were compared with those without surgery.

Results

A total of 166 patients with thoracic trauma were included. The majority of patients were male, and the age range was from 18 to 80 years old, with a mean age of 51.6 years. 52 (31.3%) underwent surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF). The highest combined injuries were limb injuries, followed by traumatic brain injury, and maxillofacial trauma. While 1 patient died in the non-surgical group, there was no significant difference in the mortality between the two groups. The surgical group had a slightly shorter hospital stay than the non-surgical group (8.6 days vs. 10.0 days, p-value: 0.038). SSRF group tended toward a lower incidence of pneumonia compared to the non-surgical group (SSRF: 3.8% vs. non-surgical: 7%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p-value: 0.426). SSRF group also had a lower incidence of tracheostomy than the non-operative group (SSRF: 0% vs. non-surgical: 1.8%, p-value: 0.337).

Conclusion

Operative fixation of a rib fracture in trauma patients resulted in a lower incidence of pneumonia, fewer days of mechanical ventilation, and a shorter hospital stay compared to non-operative treatment group.

Comorbidities, injury severity and complications predict mortality in thoracic trauma

Purpose

Thoracic trauma accounts for 25–50% of posttraumatic mortality. Data on epidemiology of thoracic trauma in Scandinavia and risk factors for mortality are scarce. This study aims to provide an overview of epidemiology, clinical events and risk factors for mortality of patients with severe thoracic injuries.

Methods

A retrospective study including adult thoracic trauma patients with abbreviated injury scale ≥ 3, between 2009 and 2018 at Haukeland University Hospital was performed. Subgroup analyses were performed for specific patient groups: (1) isolated thoracic trauma, (2) polytrauma without Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and (3) polytrauma with TBI. Logistic regression analyses were applied to find risk factors for 30-days mortality. Age, sex, comorbidity polypharmacy score (CPS), trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) and comprehensive complication index (CI) were included in the final model.

Results

Data of 514 patients were analyzed, of which 60 (12%) patients died. Median (IQR) injury severity score (ISS) was 17 (13–27). Data of 463 patients, of which 39 patients died (8%), were included in multivariate analyses. Female sex odds ratio (OR) (2.7, p = 0.04), CPS > 9 (OR 4.8; p = 0.01), TRISS ≤ 50% (OR 44; p < 0.001) and CI ≥ 30 (OR 12.5, p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for mortality. Subgroup analyses did not demonstrate other risk factors.

Conclusion

Comorbidities and associated pharmacotherapies, TRISS, female sex, and complications during admission predict in-hospital mortality after thoracic trauma. Current findings might help to recognize patients at risk of an adverse outcome, and thereby prevent complications.

Trial registration: retrospectively registered

The regional committees for medical and health research ethics file number is 2017/293.

Treatment and outcome in combined scapula and rib fractures: a retrospective study

PURPOSE

The primary aim was to describe the population characteristics of patients with combined scapula and rib fractures and outcomes associated with different treatment strategies.

METHODS

All adult (≥ 18 years) patients with concurrent ipsilateral scapula and rib fractures admitted to the study hospital between 1st January 2010 and 31st June 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 223 patients were admitted with concurrent ipsilateral rib and scapula fractures. A total of 160 patients (72%) were treated conservatively, 63 patients (28%) operatively. Among operatively treated patients, 32 (51%) underwent rib fixation (RF) only, 24 (38%) underwent scapula fixation (SF) only, and seven patients (11%) underwent combined fixation of scapula and ribs (SRF). In general, more severely injured patients were treated with more extensive surgery. RF patients had a median hospital length of stay of 16 days, the SF patients 11 days and SRF patients 18 days. There were no significant differences in complications (pneumonia, recurrent pneumothorax and revision surgery) between groups.

CONCLUSION

Injury severity resulted in different treatment modalities. As a result, different patient characteristics between treatment groups were observed, which makes direct comparison between treatment modalities impossible. All treatment modalities seem feasible; however, the additional value of both rib and scapula fixation has yet to be proven in large multicentre studies.

Risk factors that predict mortality in patients with blunt chest wall trauma: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Over the last 10 years, research has highlighted emerging potential risk factors for poor outcomes following blunt chest wall trauma. The aim was to update a previous systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk factors for mortality in blunt chest wall trauma patients.

METHODS

A systematic review of English and non-English articles using MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library from January 2010 to March 2022 was completed. Broad search terms and inclusion criteria were used. All observational studies were included if they investigated estimates of association between a risk factor and mortality for blunt chest wall trauma patients. Where sufficient data were available, ORs with 95% CIs were calculated using a Mantel-Haenszel method. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic.

RESULTS

73 studies were identified which were of variable quality (including 29 from original review). Identified risk factors for mortality following blunt chest wall trauma were: age 65 years or more (OR: 2.11; 95% CI 1.85 to 2.41), three or more rib fractures (OR: 1.96; 95% CI 1.69 to 2.26) and presence of pre-existing disease (OR: 2.86; 95% CI 1.34 to 6.09). Other new risk factors identified were: increasing Injury Severity Score, need for mechanical ventilation, extremes of body mass index and smoking status. Meta-analysis was not possible for these variables due to insufficient studies and high levels of heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this updated review suggest that despite a change in demographics of trauma patients and subsequent emerging evidence over the last 10 years, the main risk factors for mortality in patients sustaining blunt chest wall trauma remained largely unchanged. A number of new risk factors however have been reported that need consideration when updating current risk prediction models used in the ED.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021242063. Date registered: 29 March 2021. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/%23recordDetails.

Prospective validation of the Rib Injury Guidelines for traumatic rib fractures

INTRODUCTION

The Rib Injury Guidelines (RIG) were developed to guide triage of traumatic rib fracture patients to home, regular floor, or intensive care unit (ICU) and standardize care. The RIG score is based on patient history, physical examination, and imaging findings. The aim of this study was to evaluate triage effectiveness and health care resources utilization following RIG implementation.

METHODS

This is a prospective analysis at a level I trauma center from October 2017 to January 2020. Adult (18 years or older) blunt trauma patients with a diagnosis of at least one rib fracture on computed tomography imaging were included. Patients before (PRE) and after (POST) implementation of RIG were compared. In the POST group, patients were divided into RIG 1, RIG 2, and RIG 3 based on their RIG score. Outcomes were readmission for RIG 1 patients, unplanned ICU admission for RIG 2 patients, and overall ICU admission. Secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 1,100 patients were identified (PRE, 754; POST, 346). Mean ± SD age was 56 ± 19 years, 788 (71.6%) were male, and median Injury Severity Score was 14 (range, 10-22). The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle collision (554 [50.3%]), 253 patients (22.9%) had ≥5 rib fractures, and 53 patients (4.8%) had a flail chest. In the POST group, 74 patients (21.1%) were RIG 1; 121 (35.2%), RIG 2; and 151 (43.7%), RIG 3. No patient in RIG 1 was readmitted following initial discharge, and two patients (1.6%) in RIG 2 had an unplanned ICU admission (both for alcohol withdrawal syndrome). Patients after implementation of RIG had shorter hospital LOS (3 [1-6] vs. 4 [1-7] days; p = 0.019) and no difference in mortality (5.8% vs. 7.7%; p = 0.252). On multivariate analysis, RIG implementation was associated with decreased ICU admission (adjusted odds ratio, 0.55 [0.36-0.82]; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Rib Injury Guidelines are safe and effectively define triage of rib fracture patients with an overall reduction in ICU admissions, shorter hospital LOS, and no readmissions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/care management, level III.

Road traffic accident-related thoracic trauma: Epidemiology, injury pattern, outcome, and impact on mortality—A multicenter observational study

Background

Thoracic trauma is a major cause of death in trauma patients and road traffic accident (RTA)-related thoracic injuries have different characteristics than those with non-RTA related thoracic traumas, but this have been poorly described. The main objective was to investigate the epidemiology, injury pattern and outcome of patients suffering a significant RTA-related thoracic injury. Secondary objective was to investigate the influence of serious thoracic injuries on mortality, compared to other serious injuries.

Methods

We performed a multicenter observational study including patients of the Rhône RTA registry between 1997 and 2016 sustaining a moderate to lethal (Abbreviated Injury Scale, AIS≥2) injury in any body region. A subgroup (AISThorax≥2 group) included those with one or more AIS≥2 thoracic injury. Descriptive statistics were performed for the main outcome and a multivariate logistic regression was computed for our secondary outcome.

Results

A total of 176,346 patients were included in the registry and 6,382 (3.6%) sustained a thoracic injury. Among those, median age [IQR] was 41 [25–58] years, and 68.9% were male. The highest incidence of thoracic injuries in female patients was in the 70–79 years age group, while this was observed in the 20–29 years age group among males. Most patients were car occupants (52.3%). Chest wall injuries were the most frequent thoracic injuries (62.1%), 52.4% of which were multiple rib fractures. Trauma brain injuries (TBI) were the most frequent concomitant injuries (29.1%). The frequency of MAISThorax = 2 injuries increased with age while that of MAISThorax = 3 injuries decreased. A total of 16.2% patients died. Serious (AIS≥3) thoracic injuries (OR = 12.4, 95%CI [8.6;18.0]) were strongly associated with mortality but less than were TBI (OR = 27.9, 95%CI [21.3;36.7]).

Conclusion

Moderate to lethal RTA-related thoracic injuries were rare. Multiple ribs fractures, pulmonary contusions, and sternal fractures were the most frequent anatomical injuries. The incidence, injury pattern and mechanisms greatly vary across age groups.

A survey of current practice in UK emergency department management of patients with blunt chest wall trauma not requiring admission to hospital

INTRODUCTION

There is no universal agreement or supporting evidence for the content or format of a standardised guidance document for patients with blunt chest wall trauma. The aim of this study is to investigate current UK Emergency Medicine practice of the management of patients with blunt chest wall trauma, who do not require admission to hospital.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey study, with mixed quantitative / qualitative analysis methods. A convenience sample of all professions working in the Emergency Departments / Urgent Care Centres in the UK was used. A combination of closed and open-ended questions were included, covering demographics and current practice in the respondent's main place of work. Themes explored included management strategies for safe discharge home, risk prediction and variables considered relevant for inclusion in patient guidance.

RESULTS

A total of 113 clinicians responded from all UK trauma networks, including all devolved nations. A total of 20 different risk prediction tools / pathways were reported to be used when assessing whether a patient is safe for discharge home, with over 35 different variables listed by respondents as being important to highlight to patients. Qualitative analysis revealed that a small number of respondents believe patients can be better managed through the improvement of the following; identification of the high-risk patient, initial assessment and current management strategies used in the ED / UCC.

DISCUSSION

The wide variation in practice highlighted in this study may be due in part to a lack of national consensus guidelines on how to manage this complex patient group. Further research is needed into whether structured national guidelines for the assessment and management of such patients could potentially lead to an overall improvement in outcomes. Such guidelines should be developed by not only expert clinicians and researchers, but also and more importantly by those service-users who have lived experience of blunt chest wall trauma.

What is the optimal timing to perform surgical stabilization of rib fractures?

The practice of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) for severe chest wall injury has exponentially increased over the last decade due to improved outcomes as compared to nonoperative management. However, regarding in-hospital outcomes, the ideal time from injury to SSRF remains a matter of debate. This review aims to evaluate and summarize currently available literature related to timing of SSRF. Nine studies on the effect of time to SSRF were identified. All were retrospective comparative studies with no detailed information on why patients underwent early or later SSRF. Patients underwent SSRF most often for a flail chest or ≥3 displaced rib fractures. Early SSRF (≤48-72 hours after admission) was associated with shorter hospital and intensive care unit length of stay (HLOS and ICU-LOS, respectively), duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV), and lower rates of pneumonia, and tracheostomy as well as lower hospitalization costs. No difference between early or late SSRF was demonstrated for mortality rate. As compared to nonoperative management, late SSRF (>3 days after admission), was associated with similar or worse in-hospital outcomes. The optimal time to perform SSRF in patients with severe chest wall injury is early (≤48-72 hours after admission) and associated with improved in-hospital outcomes as compared to either late salvage or nonoperative management. These data must however be cautiously interpreted due the retrospective nature of the studies and potential selection and attrition bias. Future research should focus on both factors and pathways that allow patients to undergo early SSRF.

Utilizing triage rates to improve ICU admission guidelines of elderly rib fracture patients

BACKGROUND

Elderly rib fracture patients are generally admitted to an ICU which may result in overutilization of scarce resources. We hypothesized that this practice results in significant overtriage.

METHODS

Retrospective study of patients over age 70 with acute rib fracture(s) as sole indication for ICU admission. Primary outcomes were adverse events (intubation, pneumonia, death), which we classified as meriting ICU admission. We utilized Cribari matrices to calculate triage rates.

RESULTS

101 patients met study criteria. 12% had adverse events occurring on average at day 5. Our undertriage rate was 6% and overtriage rate 87%. The 72 overtriaged patients utilized 295 total ICU days. Evaluating guideline modification, ≥3 fractures appears optimal. Changing to this would have liberated 50 ICU days with 3% undertriage.

CONCLUSION

Elderly patients with small numbers of rib fractures are overtriaged to ICUs. Modifying guidelines to ≥3 rib fractures will improve resource utilization and save ICU beds.

Retrospective study on rib fractures: smoking and alcohol matter for mortality and complications

Background

Rib fractures and substance use are both common in trauma patients, but there is little data on how smoking and alcohol use may be associated with outcomes in these patients. We assessed the association between smoking or alcohol use disorder (AUD) and outcomes in patients with rib fractures.

Methods

We used institutional databases to conduct a retrospective review of patients with rib fractures at the only American College of Surgeons-verified adult level 1 trauma center in a rural state between 2015 and 2019. The key exposure variables were smoking and AUD. The key outcome variables were mortality and pulmonary complications (pneumonia, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and pneumothorax). We used multivariable regression for analysis and directed acyclic graphs to identify variables for adjustment.

Results

We identified 1880 eligible patients with rib fractures, including 693 (37%) who were smokers and 204 (11%) who had AUD. Compared with non-smokers, smokers were younger, more often male, and had lower mortality rates. Regression showed that smokers had a lower likelihood of mortality (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.87; p=014). Likelihood of pneumonia, ARDS, and pneumothorax was not different between smokers and non-smokers. Compared with patients without AUD, patients with AUD were older, more often male, and had higher likelihood of pneumonia and lower likelihood of pneumothorax. Regression showed that patients with AUD had higher likelihood of pneumonia (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.24 to 2.68; p=0.002) and lower likelihood of pneumothorax (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.75; p=0.002).

Discussion

In trauma patients with rib fractures treated at a level 1 trauma center over 5 years, smoking was associated with decreased risk of mortality. These findings have implications for risk stratification and clinical decision-making for patients with rib fractures.

Level of evidence

III

Trends in incidence rate, health care use, and costs due to rib fractures in the Netherlands

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine population-based trends in the incidence rate, health care consumption, and work absence with associated costs in patients with rib fractures.

METHODS

A retrospective nationwide epidemiologic study was performed with data from patients with one or more rib fractures presented or admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 and have been registered in the Dutch Injury Surveillance System (DISS) or the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR). Incidence rates were calculated using data from Statistics Netherlands. The associated direct health care costs, costs for lost productivity, and years lived with disability (YLD) were calculated using data from a questionnaire.

RESULTS

In the 4-year study period, a total of 32,124 patients were registered of which 19,885 (61.9%) required hospitalization with a mean duration of 7.7 days. The incidence rate for the total cohort was 47.1 per 100,000 person years and increased with age. The mean associated direct health care costs were €6785 per patient and showed a sharp increase after the age of 75 years. The mean duration of work absence was 44.2 days with associated mean indirect costs for lost productivity of €22,886 per patient. The mean YLD was 0.35 years and decreased with age.

CONCLUSION

Rib fractures are common and associated with lengthy HLOS and work absenteeism as well as high direct and indirect costs which appear to be similar between patients with one or multiple rib fractures and mostly affected by admitted patients and age.