Open AccessTórax inestable en paciente pediátrico. Reporte de un caso
Author(s) -
Melisa Gamerman,
E Romero Manteola,
Sofía Contreras,
Celeste Patiño,
Germán Bonetto,
Agustina Salvadores
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
archivos argentinos de pediatría
Language(s) - Spanish
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.236
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1668-3501
pISSN - 0325-0075
DOI - 10.5546/aap.2020.e57
Subject(s) - medicine
Flail chest is defined by fracture of 3 or more adjacent ribs, at 2 or more sites, with paradoxical movement of the affected chest. It occurs in 2 to 4 % of blunt chest trauma, with a mortality of 10 to 15 %. Treatment is conservative, using analgesia and positive pressure ventilation, or surgical osteosynthesis of rib fractures. We present the case of a 9-year-old girl with blunt chest trauma and flail chest. Computed tomography showed rib fractures from 2 nd to 7 th left ribs, in middle and anterior arches. Due to inadequate pain management, it was placed in mechanical ventilation. After 72 hours the surgical resolution was decided, osteosynthesis of the 3 rd to 7 th ribs was performed. The patient evolved favorably. The surgical management allowed reducing days of mechanical ventilation and days of hospitalization.