View clinical trials related to Rib Fractures.
Filter by:This is a multicenter randomized study investigating the differences in clinical outcomes of patients between two standard of care pathways for rib trauma: patients who receive rib fixation versus patients who receive modern critical care and pain control after sustaining clinically significant rib fractures from trauma.
Rib fractures are a common injury of trauma patients and can cause significant pain which, if inadequately treated, can lead to impaired breathing, lung collapse, and respiratory failure. Hence, it is crucial to manage pain associated with rib fractures. Currently, epidurals are used to treat the pain, but placement can be risky as rib fractures are often associated with other injuries and complications. An alternative pain management option is the ON-Q® Pain Relief System. It is an FDA-approved device that automatically and continuously delivers medication to the region of the thoracic intercostal nerves. One study by Truitt et al (2010)demonstrated that the ON-Q® system effectively reduced pain and increased lung volumes after one hour, in patients with three or more rib fractures. However, that study sample was small and did not have a comparison group. In this study, we will compare two groups: 1) ON-Q system and 2) epidural analgesia. We hypothesize that trauma patients with three or more rib fractures, who receive pain management through the ON-Q® Pain Relief System achieve discharge criteria earlier and thus have a shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) when compared with epidural analgesia.