A 3D reconstruction from a CT scan showing a flail chest. Arrows mark the rib fractures.
Specialty
Thoracic surgery, Trauma surgery
Complications
Pneumothorax
Flail chest is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks due to trauma and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall. Two of the symptoms of flail chest are chest pain and shortness of breath.[1]
It occurs when multiple adjacent ribs are broken in multiple places, separating a segment, so a part of the chest wall moves independently. The number of ribs that must be broken varies by differing definitions: some sources say at least two adjacent ribs are broken in at least two places,[2] some require three or more ribs in two or more places.[3] The flail segment moves in the opposite direction to the rest of the chest wall: because of the ambient pressure in comparison to the pressure inside the lungs, it goes in while the rest of the chest is moving out, and vice versa. This so-called "paradoxical breathing"[4] is painful and increases the work involved in breathing.
Flail chest is usually accompanied by a pulmonary contusion, a bruise of the lung tissue that can interfere with blood oxygenation.[5] Often, it is the contusion, not the flail segment, that is the main cause of respiratory problems in people with both injuries.[6]
Surgery to fix the fractures appears to result in better outcomes.[7]
^Cite error: The named reference Athanassiadi, Kalliopi 2004 Pg 373-376 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Emergency Nurses Association (2005). Lorene Newberry; Laura M. Criddle (eds.). Sheehy's Manual of Emergency Care (6th ed.). St Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby. pp. 655–657.
^Keel M, Meier C (December 2007). "Chest injuries – what is new?". Current Opinion in Critical Care. 13 (6): 674–9. doi:10.1097/MCC.0b013e3282f1fe71. PMID 17975389. S2CID 19317500.
^"OVERVIEW paradoxical breathing". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 7 Sep 2013.
^Yamamoto L, Schroeder C, Morley D, Beliveau C (2005). "Thoracic trauma: The deadly dozen". Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. 28 (1): 22–40. doi:10.1097/00002727-200501000-00004. PMID 15732422.
^Hemmila MR, Wahl WL (2005). "Management of the injured patient". In Doherty GM (ed.). Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. McGraw-Hill Medical. p. 214. ISBN 0-07-142315-X. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
^Coughlin, TA; Ng, JW; Rollins, KE; Forward, DP; Ollivere, BJ (August 2016). "Management of rib fractures in traumatic flail chest: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials". The Bone & Joint Journal. 98-B (8): 1119–25. doi:10.1302/0301-620x.98b8.37282. PMID 27482027.
Flailchest is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks due to trauma and becomes detached from the rest...
types of injuries include: Injuries to the chest wall Chest wall contusions or hematomas Rib fractures Flailchest Sternal fractures Fractures of the shoulder...
chest pain that is worse with inspiration. Bruising may occur at the site of the break. When several ribs are broken in several places a flailchest results...
diseases or conditions that affect the chest include pleurisy, flailchest, atelectasis, and the most common condition, chest pain. These conditions can be hereditary...
glass, obsidian, and gold, while the flail's beads are made of gilded wood. Traditionally crossed over the chest when held, they probably represented...
may occur include tension pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, hemothorax, flailchest, cardiac tamponade, and airway obstruction/rupture. The injuries may...
to the chest wall are also distinct from but may be associated with lung injuries. Chest wall injuries include rib fractures and flailchest, in which...
disease) Deformed (kyphoscoliosis), rigid (ankylosing spondylitis), or flailchest. Type 3 respiratory failure is a type of Type 1 respiratory failure,...
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patient should immediately undergo x-ray diagnosis of their cervical spine, chest, and pelvis, commonly known as a 'trauma series', to ascertain possible...
adjacent ribs incur two or more fractures each, this can result in a flailchest which is a life-threatening condition. A dislocated rib can be painful...
millionaire fugitive. A sail boom falls on the yacht's captain, causing a flailchest and paradoxical breathing. Divya and Evan, guided by Hank online while...
body area; injuries affecting 40% are polytrauma, 30% head injuries, 20% chest trauma, 10%, abdominal trauma, and 2%, extremity trauma. Various scales...
this. In newborns this condition is seen in spinal muscular atrophy. Flailchest (or Paradoxical breathing). "paradoxical diaphragm phenomenon, thefreedictionary...
depending on the fractures type and location, complications may include flailchest, compartment syndromes or fat embolism. Compound fractures involve the...
air generally comes from the chest cavity, subcutaneous emphysema usually occurs around the upper torso, such as on the chest, neck, face, axillae and arms...
acronym Examples: Traumatic Causes Examples: Medical Causes R Respiratory Flailchest; tension pneumothorax; pleural effusion Hypoxemia due to COPD, asthma...
tree Signs of serious chest injuries, including penetrating trauma to the chest, which can cause a sucking chest wound; flailchest; tension pneumothorax;...
also cause serious injury to the respiratory tract. Severe trauma to the chest can cause damage to the lungs, including pulmonary contusions, accumulation...
A pulmonary laceration is a chest injury in which lung tissue is torn or cut. An injury that is potentially more serious than pulmonary contusion, pulmonary...
legs, wearing a distinctive atef crown, and holding a symbolic crook and flail. He was one of the first to be associated with the mummy wrap. When his...
occur include damage to blood vessels in the chest, myocardial rupture, head and abdominal injuries, flailchest, and vertebral fracture. Sternal fractures...
tendineae and the development of a flail leaflet. Asymmetric prolapse is further subdivided into flail and non-flail. Flail prolapse occurs when a leaflet...
survives infancy, these sutures can permanently fuse. Defects in the chest, such as flailchest resulting from rib fractures, lead to respiratory compromise and...
trauma (gunshot wound when hunting) Eye injuries (such as from branches) Flailchest associated with ice climbing and snowclimbing falls Hyperthermia (heat...
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