Sternal Fractures due to Blunt Chest Trauma

Abstract

The present article aimed to give an overview of sternal fractures and discuss their management and prognoses. The retrieved pertinent publications of 2011-2021 constituted the materials of the present study. The misdiagnosis rate of X-ray was 5.5% and that of sonography was 6.3% for diagnosing the sternal fractures. There were more patients with complicated than with isolated sternal fractures (98.8% vs. 1.2%, p<0.001). Sternal fractures were treated surgically in 59.5%, conservatively in 39.7%, and staged conservatively and surgically in 0.8% of patients. Extremity fractures, brain injury, lung contusion, and intraabdominal/intraperitoneal injuries were the most common associated injuries to sternal fractures. A small number of patients with sternal fractures have fracture-related delayed complications, most of which require surgical treatments with good outcomes. For solitary sternal fractures, short-term pain relief is sufficient. Most complicated sternal fractures require surgical treatment by sternal fixation. Intrathoracic injuries, especially life-threatening cardiopulmonary injuries that are complicated to sternal fractures warrant resuscitation and corresponding active treatment. The causes of patients' death with sternal fractures were usually not related to the sternum fracture itself, but mostly to the associated injuries.