Injuries to the Chest Wall

Up-to-date and multidisciplinary, this text brings together all of the latest research and clinical treatment strategies for the management of injuries to the chest wall and rib cage. The management of trauma to the chest wall, especially “flail chest” injuries, has been relatively stagnant for many years. Non-operative treatment has been the standard of care, and despite some advances, has reached the point where there is little new to offer a severely traumatized patient. However, recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the interest in surgical fixation of unstable chest wall injuries. Specifically, plate or intramedullary nail fixation of multiple rib fractures has rapidly become the state-of-the-art in many trauma centers, and there have multiple research papers, reviews, new fixation devices, and instructional courses at national level meetings on this topic. This book assembles a diverse group of experts in the field—orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, anesthetists, basic science researchers—to produce the definitive work on this topic that will appeal to a wide variety of medical practitioners.

• Chest trauma
• Chest wall injury
• Diaphragmatic injury
• Flail chest
• Intermedullary nail fixation
• Intramedullary splint
• Plate fixation
• Pulmonary contusion
• Rib fixation
• Rib fracture
• Rib implant
• Unstable chest wall
• thoracic surgery

“This multiauthored, multinational book describes the rationale for surgical chest wall reconstruction after blunt trauma. … Emergency medicine providers, trauma specialists, thoracic surgeons, and orthopedists are an appropriate audience. … This is an excellent summary and state-of-the-art review for rib fracture stabilization. … This book can be recommended for its well-written chapters and effective descriptions of the scope of this important problem.” (David J. Dries, Doody's Book Reviews, February, 2016)

• Division of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada

  Michael D. McKee, Emil H. Schemitsch

Michael D. McKee, MD, FRCSC, Professor, Division of Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Emil H. Schmetisch, MD, FRCSC, Professor, Division of Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Policies and ethics