Costal fracture assessment for relief and enhancement of quality of life-CARE study.

PURPOSE: Rib fractures account for 10-15% of trauma-related hospital admissions. Few data are available regarding long-term follow-up of patients undergoing non-operative management. Our aim is to evaluate quality of life at 1, 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks from the trauma. Pain management, respiratory infection rate and length of hospitalization (LOS) will be recorded.

METHODS

Patients with rib fractures older than 18 years of age will be prospectively included.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA: cognitive impairment, chronic pain due to pathologic fractures, active cancer. Patients will be asked to complete a specific survey at 1, 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks from the trauma to assess their quality of life. Pain management, respiratory infection rate and LOS will be recorded.

CLINICALTRIAL: gov ID NCT06405841.

RESULTS

The study will provide a detailed quality of life assessment for patients with rib fractures treated conservatively. It will identify the most effective types of analgesic therapies in controlling rib fracture-related pain, respiratory infections rate, and LOS.

CONCLUSIONS

The results could have broad practical applications, providing guidance on best practices for rib fracture treatment. This could lead to greater efficacy in management protocols, reducing or increasing the need for surgical interventions. The study could have a significant impact on the health-care system by providing evidence to optimize healthcare resources through more targeted management. If the results demonstrate that conservative treatment is ineffective for certain types of fractures, these patients could be selected for surgical treatment, resulting in savings for the healthcare system and improvement in patient quality of life.