ABSTRACT
Objective:
to evaluate epidemiology, anatomical characteristics, management, and prognosis of critical patients with sternum fractures.
Methods:
retrospective analysis of patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of a Level III trauma center in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Results:
1552 trauma patients were admitted from January 2012 to April 2016. A total of 439 patients had thoracic trauma and among these, 13 patients had sternum fracture, making up 0.9% of all trauma admissions and 3% of all thoracic trauma cases. Three of these 13 patients had unstable chest, two underwent surgical management for fracture fixation, and three died (mortality was of 29%). In one of the deaths, sternum fracture was assessed as the main contributor to the outcome.
Conclusion:
sternum fracture was diagnosed in 0.9% of critical trauma patients in a specialized ICU. Only 15% of patients required specific surgical management in the acute phase. In most cases, mortality was due to other injuries.
Keywords:
Thoracic Injuries; Critical Care; Flail Chest; Intensive Care Units