ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility to use pain scale and arterial oxygen partial pressure(PaO2)as screening internal fixation indications for patients with multiple rib fractures. MethodsClinical data of 48 patients with multiple rib fractures who were admitted to Shanghai Pudong Hospital from September 2010 to February 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used for pain assessment. Twenty-four patients whose VAS was greater than or equal to 6 and PaO2 was less than 60 mm Hg 3 days after injury were chosen as the experimental group, including 16 males and 8 females with their age of 49.29±15.73 years. Another 24 patients whose VAS was less than or equal to 5 and PaO2 was greater than 60 mm Hg 3 days after injury were chosen as the control group, including 19 males and 5 females with their age of 48.63±13.49 years. Patients in both groups received rib internal fixation with steel plates. Three days and 1 week after surgery respectively, VAS and PaO2 were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsIn the experimental group, VAS 3 days after surgery was significantly lower than preoperative VAS (4.09±0.93 vs. 8.21±1.18, P < 0.05), and VAS 1 week after surgery was significantly lower than preoperative VAS (3.20±0.98 vs. 8.21±1.18, P < 0.05). In the control group, there was no statistical difference between VAS 3 days after surgery and preoperative VAS (P > 0.05), and there was no statistical difference between VAS 1 week after surgery and preoperative VAS (P > 0.05). Three days after surgery, PaO2 of the experimental group was significantly higher than preoperative PaO2 (61.00±3.47 mm Hg vs. 53.00±3.97 mm Hg, P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between PaO2 3 days after surgery and preoperative PaO2 in the control group (66.71±5.15 mm Hg vs. 66.00±5.00 mm Hg, P > 0.05). Three days after surgery, pneumonia occurred in 4 patients in the experimental group and 2 patients in the control group (χ2=0.762, P > 0.05). Three days after surgery, pain scale reduction of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (4.13±1.45 vs. 0.00±0.42, P < 0.05). One week after surgery, pain scale reduction of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (5.04±1.23 vs. 0.08±0.28, P < 0.05). Three days after surgery, PaO2 increase of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (7.42±3.59 mm Hg vs. 0.21±0.98 mmHg, P < 0.05). ConclusionIt's reasonable and feasible to use pain scale greater than or equal to 6 and PaO2 less than 60 mm Hg as internal fixation indications for patients with multiple rib fractures.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, our national guidelines have suggested that surgical patients should wear a mask to decrease the potential transmission of COVID-19 in the operating room, as long as the condition allows. However, so far, there is no study to discuss the influence of wearing a mask on the ventilation and blood oxygenation status in patients of spontaneous breathing with supplementary oxygen through an anesthetic facemask. This is a before-after study in the same patient, and 10 healthy volunteers were recruited, by testing the arterial blood gas parameters at key time points before and after oxygen inhalation to evaluate the effects of two different supplementary oxygen methods (‘disposable medical mask + anesthetic facemask’ and ‘anesthetic facemask only’) on the oxygenation of subjects. Our data demonstrated whether wearing a disposable medical mask or not could effectively increase the oxygen supply of the subjects compared with the basic value before oxygen inhalation; however, compared with the group without mask, the arterial oxygen partial (PaO2) reduced significantly at each time points when subjects wearing a disposable medical mask. There was no significant difference in other parameters, and our data showed that age growth and smoking had no significant effects on the difference of PaO2 between the groups with and without masks. This study demonstrates effective oxygen supplementation through anesthetic facemask in subjects with spontaneous breathing who is wearing a disposable medical mask, whose pulse oxygen saturation and arterial oxygen saturation can reach 100% rapidly, and this provides a theoretical basis for the management of patients with disseminated respiratory diseases to wear masks in the operating room; however, the rate and amount of PaO2 increase are both decreased as compared to those who is not wearing a disposable medical mask during supplementary oxygenation. Whether this difference will affect the clinical outcome needs further study.