[Thoracic inestability fixed with bioabsorbable screws and plates].

BACKGROUND

Flail chest is managed with mechanical ventilation or inhaloteraphy and analgesia. Little has been published on the use of bioabsorbable material and its evolution in flail chest fixation.

METHODS

This is a descriptive study of patients with unstable chest undergoing fixation with bioabsorbable plates and screws in a period from February 2009 to December 2011.

RESULTS

We report 18 cases, aged 33-74 years (mean 53), three with bilateral involvement; rib fixation was performed between 1-21 days of the accident (mean 1.5). They started walking the next day in 14 cases; postoperative stay was four days (range 3-14). The heart rate of patients prior to surgery was 90 per minute (range 82-100) and lowered to 84 after fixation (range 82-92), preoperative respiratory rate was 26 per minute (range 22-28) and below 22 per minute (range 20 to 26) in postoperative period.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of bioabsorbable material for osteosynthesis of costal fractures did not show side effects in our period of study.