Effect of thoracoscopy combined with internal fixation in the treatment of multiple rib fractures

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of thoracoscopy combined with internal fixation in the treatment of multiple rib fractures.Methods: The clinical data of 28 patients with multiple rib fractures were retrospectively analyzed,and the patients were divided into the surgical treatment group and conservative treatment group according to the therapy method(14 cases each group).The visual analog scale(VAS) score,time in bed,length of hospital stay and complications in two groups before and after treatment were recorded.Results: The VAS scores in two groups after treatment gradually decreased,and the VAS scores in surgical treatment group after 24 h,48 h and 72 h of treatment were lower than that in conservative treatment group(P<0.05 to P<0.01).The time in bed and length of hospital stay in surgical treatment group were significantly shorter than those in conservative treatment group,respectively(P<0.01).During the 6 months of following up,6 cases with complications in conservative treatment group were found,4 cases with pleural effusion were treated with closed drainage of pleural cavity,2 cases were severe thoracic deformity complicated with refractory chest pain,and the incidence rate of complication was 42.9%.No complication occurred in surgical treatment group.Conclusions: The thoracoscopy combined with internal fixation in the treatment of multiple rib fractures can shorten the recovery time,reduce the duration of hospital stay,relieve pain and reduce complications of patients,which is worthy of promotion in clinic.