Carpintero J L, Rodriguez Diez A, Ruiz Elvira M J, Benitez J A, Perez Rielo A
Intensive Care Med. 1980 Aug;6(4):217-21. doi: 10.1007/BF01687161.
We have treated 30 patients with flail chest, with priority given to associated factors (pain, secretions retention, hemo-/pneumothorax and underlying pulmonary contusion). When this treatment was insufficient IMV + PEEP was instituted; in this group there was a 58.8% incidence of pneumonia, 47.5% of sepsis and 11.7 days average stay in the ICU. These were significantly different when compared to the patients controlled without mechanical ventilatory support 7.7% pneumonia, 0% sepsis, 3.2 days). Surgical fixation was limnited to 4 patients who presented with multiple and greatly displace rib fractures, which made fixation by mechanical ventilation unpredictable.
