How are rib fractures treated?

The ribs are the protectors of the chest cavity, because the chest cavity has a large capacity and contains a large number of organs and tissues. With so many organs gathered together, an external force is needed to relax and restrain them, otherwise the organs in the chest cavity will be damaged by external impact at any time. There are a lot of ribs, and each rib is perfectly combined together to form a solid wall that protects the tissues in the chest cavity from any damage. However, the ribs also have a certain limit to their bearing capacity. They can easily be fractured under excessive external impact. Let's take a look at how to treat rib fractures.

There are 12 pairs of ribs, equally divided on both sides of the chest, connected to the sternum in front and the thoracic vertebrae in the back, forming a complete foot outline. When the chest is injured, whether it is a closed injury or an open injury, rib fractures are the most common, accounting for about 90% of thoracic fractures. In children, the ribs are elastic and not easily broken, but in adults, especially the elderly, the elasticity of the ribs decreases and they are easily fractured.

1. Treatment of single closed rib fracture

Because the two ends of the fracture are supported by the upper and lower ribs and intercostal muscles, there is little dislocation and movement, and they can usually heal automatically. The main purpose of fixing the thorax is to reduce the movement of the fracture ends and relieve pain. The methods include: fixation with wide adhesive strips, fixation with multi-strapped chest cloth or fixation with elastic chest strap. The treatment principles for simple rib fractures are pain relief, immobilization and prevention of lung infection. Analgesics can be taken orally or injected intramuscularly when necessary.

2. Treatment of flail chest

Correct abnormal respiratory movements, resist shock, prevent and treat infection, and deal with combined injuries. When the chest wall softening is small or located on the back, abnormal respiratory movements may not be obvious or severe, and local padding and pressure bandaging can be used. However, when the floating amplitude reaches more than 3 cm, it can cause serious respiratory and circulatory dysfunction. When it exceeds 5 cm or it is bilateral flail chest syndrome, it can quickly lead to death and must be treated urgently.

3. Treatment of open fractures

Thorough debridement should be performed as soon as possible. Remove bone fragments and dead tissue, and bite the broken ends of the bones flat to avoid injuring surrounding tissues. If the intercostal blood vessels are damaged, the distal and proximal ends of the ruptured blood vessels should be sutured separately. Patients with pleural damage should be treated as open pneumothorax. After surgery, tetanus antitoxin serum is routinely injected and antibiotics are given to prevent and treat infection.

Rib fractures can usually heal on their own within 2 to 4 weeks, and treatment does not emphasize the fusion of the broken ends as it does for limb fractures.