Surgical fixation of bilateral flail segments in severe chest trauma: A clinical report and literature overview

Abstract

The optimal management of patients with flail chest remains subject of extensive debate. After an era of mainly non-operative treatment we recently witness a revival in thoracic osteosynthesis. The operative fixation of rib fractures, and especially flail segments, can pose a technically challenging problem for both trauma and thoracic surgeons. In this case report we describe a successful simultaneous bilateral flail chest fixation.