Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Rib Fractures in Infants

Abstract

To determine the incidence of rib fractures visible at autopsy or with postmortem radiographs after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in infants younger than 1 year. Retrospective review. Medical examiner's office in a county consisting of a medium-sized city, towns, and rural areas. Ninety-one infants (56 males, 35 females; mean age, 2.4 months; age range, 26 hours to 8.5 months) without evidence of child abuse who had undergone CPR before death. Medical records, skeletal surveys, and autopsy results were reviewed. No patient had rib fractures. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is unlikely to cause rib fractures in infants.