Rib Fracture
Basics
Description
Description
- Result of major or minor thoracic trauma
- Can be classified as traumatic or pathologic
Etiology
Etiology
- Blunt thoracic trauma:
- Simple fall, fall from height
- Vehicle crash
- Assault
- Missile
- CPR-related
- Penetrating trauma is a less likely cause:
- Ribs usually break at the point of impact or the posterior angle, the structurally weakest region
- Stress fractures in upper and middle ribs can occur with recurrent, high-force movements:
- Athletic activities: Golf, rowing, throwing
- Severe cough
- Pathologic fractures associated with minor trauma or significant underlying disease:
- Advanced age, osteoporosis, neoplasm
Pediatric Considerations
- Relatively elastic chest wall makes rib fractures less common in children
- Consider nonaccidental trauma for infants and toddlers without appropriate mechanism
- Obtain a skeletal survey to assess for other fractures in infants suspected of being abused
Geriatric Considerations
- Elderly are more prone to rib fractures as well as atelectasis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and other associated complications
- Have been consistently shown to have poorer outcomes following rib fractures
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Rib Fracture." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307349/all/Rib_Fracture.
Rib Fracture. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307349/all/Rib_Fracture. Accessed October 7, 2024.
Rib Fracture. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307349/all/Rib_Fracture
Rib Fracture [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2024 October 07]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307349/all/Rib_Fracture.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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