https://www.jvascsurg.org/article/S0741-5214(06)02025-8/pdf

The endovascular management of visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms

Objective: A rib fracture secondary to blunt thoracic trauma is an important indicator of the severity of the trauma. In the present study we explored the morbidity and mortality rates and the management following rib fractures. Methods: Between May 1999 and May 2001, 1417 cases who presented to our clinic for thoracic trauma were reviewed retrospectively. Five hundred and forty-eight (38.7%) of the cases had rib fracture. There were 331 males and 217 females, with an overall mean age of 43 years (range: 5‐ 78 years). These patients were allocated into groups according to their ages, the number of fractured ribs and status, i.e. whether they were stable or unstable (flail chest). Results: The etiology of the trauma included road traffic accidents in 330 cases, falls in 122, assault in 54, and industrial accidents in 42 cases. Pulmonary complications such as pneumothorax (37.2%), hemothorax (26.8%), hemo-pneumothorax (15.3%), pulmonary contusion (17.2%), flail chest (5.8%) and isolated subcutaneous emphysema (2.2%) were noted. 40.1% of the cases with rib fracture were treated in intensive care units. The mean duration of their stay in the intensive care unit was 11.8 ^ 6.2 days. 42.8% of the cases were treated in the wards whereby their mean duration of hospital stay was 4.5 ^ 3.4 days, while 17.1% of the cases were followed up in the outpatient clinic. Twenty-seven patients required surgery. Mortality rate was calculated as 5.7% (n ¼ 31). Conclusions: Rib fractures can be interpreted as signs of significant trauma. The greater the number of fractured ribs, the higher the mortality and morbidity rates. Patients with isolated rib fractures should be hospitalized if the number of fractured ribs is three or more. We also advocate that elderly patients with six or more fractured ribs should be treated in intensive care units due to high morbidity and mortality. q 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

/pdf/a-comprehensive-analysis-of-traumatic-rib-fractures-4u771s32ka.pdf

A comprehensive analysis of traumatic rib fractures: morbidity, mortality and management

Half-a-dozen ribs: The breakpoint for mortality

Background: The purpose of this study was to show that elderly patients admitted with rib fractures after blunt trauma have increased mortality. Methods: Demographic, injury severity, and outcome data on a cohort of consecutive adult trauma admissions with rib fractures to a tertiary care trauma center from April 1, 1993, to March 31, 2000, were extracted from our trauma registry. Results: Among 4,325 blunt trauma admissions, there were 405 (9.4%) patients with rib fractures; 113 were aged ≥ 65. Injuries were severe, with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 16 in 54.8% of cases, a mean hospital stay of 26.8 ± 43.7 days, and 28.6% of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Mortality (19.5% vs. 9.3%; p < 0.05), presence of comorbidity (61.1% vs. 8.6%; p < 0.0001), and falls (14.6% vs. 0.7%; p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in patients aged ≥65 despite significantly lower ISS (p = 0.031), higher Glasgow Coma Scale score (p = 0.0003), and higher Revised Trauma Score (p < 0.0001). After adjusting for severity (i.e., ISS and Revised Trauma Score), comorbidity, and multiple rib fractures, patients aged ≥ 65 had five times the odds of dying when compared with those < 65 years old. Conclusion: Despite lower indices of injury severity, even after taking account of comorbidities, mortality was significantly increased in elderly patients admitted to a trauma center with rib fractures.

Elderly trauma patients with rib fractures are at greater risk of death and pneumonia

Background Recent studies have demonstrated increased morbidity in elderly patients with rib fractures after blunt trauma. As a first step in creating a multidisciplinary rib fracture clinical pathway, we sought to determine the relationship between increasing age, number of rib fractures, and adverse outcomes in blunt chest trauma patients, without major abdominal or brain injury. Study design We performed a retrospective cohort study involving all blunt patients greater than 15 years old with rib fractures, excluding those with Abbreviated Injury Scores (AIS) greater than 2 for abdomen and head, admitted to an urban Level I trauma center during 20 months. Outcomes parameters included the number of rib fractures, Injury Severity Score (ISS), intrathoracic injuries, pulmonary complications, number of ventilator days, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), hospital stay, and type of analgesia. Results Of the 6,096 patients admitted, 171 (2.8%) met the inclusion criteria. Based on an analysis of increasing age, number of rib fractures, and adverse outcomes variables, patients were separated into four groups: group 1, 15 to 44 years old with 1 to 4 rib fractures; group 2, 15 to 44 years old with more than 4 rib fractures; group 3, 45 years or older with 1 to 4 rib fractures; and group 4, 45 years or more with more than 4 rib fractures. The four groups had similar numbers of pulmonary contusions (30%) and incidence of hemopneumothorax (51%). Ventilator days (5.8 ± 1.8), ICU days (7.5 ± 1.8), and total hospital stay (14.0 ± 2.2) were increased in group 4 patients compared with the other groups (p Conclusions Patients over the age of 45 with more than four rib fractures are more severely injured and at increased risk of adverse outcomes. Efforts to decrease rib fracture morbidity should focus not only on elderly patients but those as young as 45 years. Based on these data we have initiated a multidisciplinary clinical pathway focusing on patients 45 years and older who have more than four rib fractures.

https://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(02)01894-X/pdf

Morbidity from rib fractures increases after age 45

BACKGROUND: We sought to ascertain the extent to which advanced age influences the morbidity and mortality after rib fractures (fxs), to define the relationship between number of rib fractures and morbidity and mortality, and to evaluate the influence of analgesic technique on outcome. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study involving all 277 patients > or = 65 years old with rib fxs admitted to a Level I trauma center over 10 years was undertaken. The control group consisted of 187 randomly selected patients, 18 to 64 years old, with rib fxs admitted over the same time period. Outcomes included pulmonary complications, number of ventilator days, length of intensive care unit and hospital stay (LOS), disposition, and mortality. The specific analgesic technique used was also examined. RESULTS: The two groups had similar mean number of rib fxs (3.6 elderly vs. 4.0 young), mean chest Abbreviated Injury Scores (3.0 vs. 3.0), and mean Injury Severity Score (20.7 vs. 21.4). However, mean number of ventilator days (4.3 vs. 3.1), intensive care unit days (6.1 vs. 4.0), and LOS (15.4 vs. 10.7 days) were longer for the elderly patients. Pneumonia occurred in 31% of elderly versus 17% of young (p 2 days) was associated with a 10% mortality versus 16% without the use of an epidural (p = 0.28). In the younger group (LOS >2 days), mortality with and without the use of an epidural was 0% and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients who sustain blunt chest trauma with rib fxs have twice the mortality and thoracic morbidity of younger patients with similar injuries. For each additional rib fracture in the elderly, mortality increases by 19% and the risk of pneumonia by 27%. As the number of rib fractures increases, there is a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in both groups, but with different patterns for each group. Further prospective study is needed to determine the utility of epidural analgesia in this population.

Matthew A. Arneson

Papers

Rib fractures in the elderly.

Ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm: case report and review of literature.