5 Cases of Patients with Multiple Fractures of Ribs after a Traffic Accident who Improved with the Combination of Korean Medical Admission Treatment: Case Series

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to report five patients who had multiple rib fractures after a traffic accident who improved with the combination of Korean medical admission treatment. Methods: We collected the data of traffic accident patients with multiple rib fractures who were admitted to the Daejeon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine from April 2018 to May 2018 to receive the combinational Korean medical treatment. We observed these cases of patients treated by Acupuncture, Pharmacopuncture, Herbal medicine, Oriental physical therapy, Chuna treatment. We measured the validity of the treatment with a numerical rating scale (NRS) and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimension (EQ5D) at admission, at two weeks, and at the discharge date of hospitalization. Results: At the end of the treatment, all patients showed a decrease in NRS scores and in increase in EQ5D. The median NRS score was 6 (5-7) at the date of admission and 4 (2-7) at two weeks and then decreased to 3 (2-6). The median EQ5D score was 0.513 (0.350-0.752) at the date of admission and 0.692 (0.418-0.913) at two weeks, and then increased to 0.783 (0.671-0.913). Conclusions: After the combination of Korean medicine admission treatment, five patients with multiple rib fractures after a traffic accident showed that the treatments were effective. However, the number of subjects was insufficient and individual efficacy was not measured in this study. Therefore, further studies are needed on this topic. Keywords: multiple fractures of ribs after traffic accident, combination of Korean medical admission treatment, case report