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A Review of the Modern Literature

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Injuries to the Chest Wall

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Abstract

Since the early twentieth century, traumatologists have experimented with fixation of severe chest wall injuries. Despite improvements conferred by selective mechanical ventilation, these injuries continued to carry relatively high morbidity and mortality. In the last 20 years, several comparative studies and a few randomized trials suggested that significant further improvements in clinical outcomes could be made with operative rib fixation. Few randomized trials exist with large enough sample sizes to guide clinical practice, and two meta-analyses have laid the groundwork for future research. The strength of the conclusions drawn by the modern literature is primarily limited by small sample sizes and uncontrolled study designs. Cooperative efforts between centers and across surgical specialties will be instrumental in addressing the limitations of the literature and improving the care of these critically injured trauma patients.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Suite 300, 110 S. Paca Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Gerard P. Slobogean M.D., M.P.H., F.R.C.S.C.

  2. University of British Columbia, Room 3114, 910 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5Z 1M9

    David J. Stockton M.D.

Authors
  1. Gerard P. Slobogean M.D., M.P.H., F.R.C.S.C.
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  2. David J. Stockton M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerard P. Slobogean M.D., M.P.H., F.R.C.S.C. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Michael D. McKee

  2. Division of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Emil H. Schemitsch

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Slobogean, G.P., Stockton, D.J. (2015). A Review of the Modern Literature. In: McKee, M., Schemitsch, E. (eds) Injuries to the Chest Wall. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18624-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18624-5_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18623-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18624-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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