Two hundred and fifty patients with chest trauma admitted consecutively over a 6-year period to the Royal Surrey County Hospital were reviewed. This is a large series by British standards. The cause and nature of their chest and associated injuries were studied, together with the management, complications and outcome. The aim of this study was to find areas where diagnosis and treatment could b...

A middle aged Thai male was admitted suffering from a severely unstable flail chest caused by an elephant having trampled on the upper right part of his chest. He failed to respond to conservative treatment and conventional surgery could not be performed due to the bony defect in the chest wall. Consequently, a frame-composite mesh was designed and constructed in close collaboration with Chiang...

Although pulmonary disability is usually minimal following total sternectomy, the potential for remote complications exists. We present a case of severe respiratory failure resulting from simple rib fractures occurring two years after sternectomy for sternal osteomyelitis. Respiratory failure resulted from flail chest due to the combination of acute rib fracture and the lack of anterior fixatio...

BACKGROUND About 10% of adult patients in high-energy trauma sustain multiple rib fractures. Some of these patients suffer from flail chest leading to respiratory insufficiency. During last years interest and results for operative treatment has improved. The literature today all show positive results for surgical versus conservative treatment, specifically with regard to time spent in mechanica...