Chinese consensus on surgical treatment of traumatic rib fractures (2021) / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Traumatic rib fractures are the most common injury in thoracic trauma. Previously，the patients with traumatic rib fractures were mostly treated non-surgically，of which 50%，especially those combined with flail chest presented chronic pain or chest wall deformities and over 30% had long-term disabilities，being unable to retain a full-time job. In the past two decades，thanks to the development of internal fixation material technology，the surgical treatment of rib fractures has achieved good outcomes. However，there are still some problems in clinical treatment，including inconsistency in surgical treatment and quality control in medical services. The current consensuses on the management of regional traumatic rib fractures published at home and abroad mainly focus on the guidance of the overall treatment decisions and plans，and relevant clinical guidelines abroad lacks progress in surgical treatment of rib fractures in recent years. Therefore，the Chinese Society of Traumatology affiliated to Chinese Medical Association and Chinese College of Trauma Surgeons affiliated to Chinese Medical Doctor Association，in conjunction with national multidisciplinary experts，formulate the Chinese Consensus for Surgical Treatment of Traumatic Rib Fractures（2021）following the principle of evidence-based medicine，scientific nature and practicality. This expert consensus puts forward some clear，applicable，and graded recommendations from aspects of preoperative imaging evaluation，surgical indications，timing of surgery，surgical methods，rib fracture sites for surgical fixation，internal fixation methods and material selections，treatment of combined injuries in rib fractures，in order to provide references for surgical treatment of traumatic rib fractures.