Turhan, K Ege Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Göğüs Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Turkey , Çakan, A Ege Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Göğüs Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Turkey , Özdil, A Ege Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Göğüs Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Turkey , Çağırıcı, U Ege Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Göğüs Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Turkey

Traumatic sternal fractures: diagnosis and management

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Aim: Despite the fact that the number of patients with sternum fractures is only a small percent of all thoracic trauma patients treated in emergency rooms, diagnosis and management is important due to the possibilty of associated cardiac injuries. The aim of this study is to discuss the diagnosis, management and therapy options of patients with sternal fractures after thoracic trauma.Material and Methods: Twenty-two patients were diagnosed with sternal fractures after thoracic trauma in the emergency room of our hospital between January 1998 and December 2008 and were treated at our clinic. Location and type of fractures, treatment methods and complications were evaluated retrospectively. Results: The reason for the trauma was a vehicular traffic accident in 13 patients (59.1%) and eleven (84.6%) of these patients wore a seat belt. Sternal fractures were localized at corpus in 19 patients (86.4%) and at manubrium in 3 patients (13.6%). Cardiac enzyme levels increased in 14 patients (63.6%) and pathologic findings in electrocardiography and echocardiography were observed in 5 (22.7%) and 4 (18.2%) patients, respectively.Eighteen patients (81.8%) were followed without any surgical intervention, tube thoracostomy was performed in 3 patients (13.6%). One patient (4.6%) was managed by surgical fixation. The mean hospital stay was 5.7 days.Conclusion: Lateral chest radiograms should be performed on all patients after thoracic trauma to diagnose any sternum fracture. Patients with pathological findings should be evaluated with echocardiography. Management of patients with sternal fractures is usually conservative, but patients with deplased sternal fractures causing flail chest should be treated with early surgical fixation.

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thorax , trauma , sternal fracture

Ege Journal Of Medicine

111