Treatment of rib fractures is considered completed when a patient can take deep breaths, cough effectively, and walk without significant discomfort. If these are not sufficient, then a nerve block or an epidural catheter may be used to provide pain control in the region of the fractures. Some of these include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, gabapentin, lidocaine, narcotics, and muscle relaxers. In general, many different types of pain medications are used at the same time for pain control. Because the risk of complications increases with age, older patients may require hospitalization, sometimes in an intensive care unit. The key to rib fracture treatment is pain control, breathing exercises to maintain the lungs fully inflated, and physical therapy.
Multidisciplinary management of patients with rib fractures is important and may include trauma surgeons, pain specialists, pulmonologists, and physical and occupational therapists. Flail chest occurs when 2 or more consecutive ribs are broken in at least 2 places, making that segment of the chest move paradoxically (opposite from the rest of the chest wall), and is often associated with more severe underlying lung injury. Often, the initial trauma that caused the rib fractures can also lead to other chest injuries such as bruising of the lungs, bleeding in the chest, or air leaking from the lung ( pneumothorax). However, a normal x-ray result does not rule out a fracture, and if the suspicion is high enough, a computed tomography scan should be obtained. Chest x-ray is a useful first test in determining if a patient has rib fractures. This can lead to collapse of the air sacs in the lungs, which makes breathing even harder and can subsequently lead to pneumonia. Because these fractures are quite painful, patients splint when they breathe, meaning that they take short shallow breaths, and minimize movement. The most common symptom of rib fractures is pain with touch, taking a deep breath, sneezing, or coughing.
Challenges in Clinical Electrocardiography.
0 kommentar(er)
