Rib fractures are one of the most common injuries, occurring in approximately 10 percent of all trauma patients.1 Compared to the non-surgical conservative treatment, several studies show support for the surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF).
Benefits of rib fixation may include:
The majority (7/10) of reviews found significant reductions in mortality rate (between 56% and 76%) for patients undergoing surgical rib stabilization when compared to conservative treatment.
Studies of patients reporting mechanical ventilation after surgical rib stabilization found a reduction of days that a mechanical ventilator was needed.
ICU length of stay was found to be significantly shorter for surgical rib stabilization patients. Reported reductions range from 2 days to 6.5 days through various studies.
Hospital length of stay was found to be shorter for surgical rib stabilization patients in all but one study. Reductions in hospital stay range from 3.8 fewer days to 11.4 fewer days.
Patients with surgical rib stabilization had 41% to 82% lower risk of pneumonia.
Patients who had surgical rib stabilization have shown to have a range of 41% lower to 88% lower risk of tracheostomy. This is an opening in the neck to place a tube into a person’s windpipe.
As with most surgery, comes risk. To help minimize risk, it is always important to follow your surgeon’s post-operative precautions. For a complete list of risks associated with Zimmer Biomet’s RibFix products, see Patient Risk Information.
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For printed information on Rib Fixation, call 1-800-874-7711.
Talk to your surgeon about whether Rib Fixation is right for you and the risks of the procedure, including the risk of implant wear, loosening or failure, and pain, swelling and infection. Zimmer Biomet does not practice medicine; only a surgeon can answer your questions regarding your individual symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
