RESUMO
Background: This study investigated the incidence and clinical consequences of abnormal radiological and clinical findings during routinely performed 6-week outpatient visits in patients treated conservatively for multiple (3 or more) rib fractures. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted among patients with multiple rib fractures treated conservatively between 2018 and 2021 (Opvent database). The primary outcome was the incidence of abnormalities on chest X-ray (CXR) and their clinical consequences, which were categorized as requiring intervention or additional clinical/radiological examination. The secondary focus was the incidence of deviation from standard treatment in response to the findings (clinical or radiological) at the routine 6-week outpatient visit. Results: In total, 364 patients were included, of whom 246 had a 6-week visit with CXR. The median age was 57 years (interquartile range, 46-70 years) and the median Injury Severity Score was 17 (interquartile range, 13-22). Forty-six abnormalities (18.7%) were found on CXR. These abnormalities resulted in additional outpatient visits in 4 patients (1.5%) and in chest drain insertion in 2 (0.8%). Only 2 patients (0.8%) with an abnormality on CXR presented without symptoms. None of the 118 patients who had visits without CXR experienced problems. Conclusion: Routine 6-week outpatient visits for patients with conservatively treated multiple rib fractures infrequently revealed abnormalities requiring treatment modifications. It may be questioned whether the 6-week outpatient visit is even necessary. Instead, a more targeted approach could be adopted, providing follow-up to high-risk or high-demand patients only, or offering guidance on recognizing warning signs and providing aftercare through a smartphone application.
RESUMO
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.
