Comparative clinical outcomes of surgical versus conservative treatment for multiple rib fractures: A retrospective analysis.

This study explores the clinical effects of surgical treating and conservative treating for multiple rib fractures (MRF). The study selected patients with MRF admitted to the thoracic surgery and emergency department of our hospital from 2018 to 2023 as the research subjects. They were separated into 2 groups according to different treatment methods: one received surgical treating, and the other one received conservative treating. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the psychological health, postoperative recovery, comorbidities, and lung function recovery of the patients. During hospitalization, there were 23 patients with complications in the surgical group. There were 11 cases of pleural effusion, 3 of delayed hemothorax, 6 of pulmonary infection, 2 of atelectasis, and 1 of rib displacement at the fractured end. Compared to the conservative treatment group, patients with pulmonary infections were much smaller (P < .05). On the 2nd and 4th day after treatment, the pH values of patients in the surgical group were 7.37 ± 0.04 and 7.41 ± 0.03, respectively. The blood pH values of patients in the conservative treatment group were 7.33 ± 0.05 and 7.43 ± 0.06, respectively. The blood oxygen partial pressure values of the surgical group patients were 89.77 ± 10.41 mm Hg and 90.02 ± 9.74 mm Hg, respectively. The blood oxygen partial pressure values of the conservative treatment group were 77.47 ± 15.63 mm Hg and 82.57 ± 10.51 mm Hg, respectively. Two groups' data comparison showed P < .05. For the treatment of MRF in non-flail chest, surgical treatment can reduce the incidence of pulmonary infection. Meanwhile, surgical treatment can shorten the medication time and significantly improve the quality of life of patients after treatment.