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.