Health, Diseases and Conditions
Fracture of the ribs: types, diagnosis, first aid
Fractures of the ribs are the most common injuries of the chest. Especially they are exposed to the elderly. Their ribs have less elasticity and do not tolerate deformations as well as those of younger ones. Fractures of the ribs come in the following types:
- Cracks;
- Subperiosteal;
- Complete.
The easiest are the cracks.
Mechanisms of injury development
As a rule, people break 5-8th ribs. Less often - 11th and 12th. This is due to the different level of mobility of the distal ends. In the case of direct injuries caused by small, angular solid objects, a limited portion of the costal arch breaks. Usually, the fracture happens directly at the site of the impact of the traumatic force. First, the internal surface of the rib breaks, and then the outer surface.
Symptomatics and Diagnosis
Fractures of the ribs are characterized by sharp pain in the place of injury. It becomes stronger with deep breaths and coughing. Patients tend to breathe superficially, but often. They are forced to occupy the optimal position, which ensures the damaged zone maximum peace. In such traumas, a symptom of interrupted inhalation appears. The person tries very slowly, but deeply to inhale, however after occurrence of sudden sharp pain stops process. With palpation, there is local soreness, and sometimes crepitus. However, the latter is not observed in the places of fractures of the cartilaginous ribs. With fractures of a multiple nature, cardio-respiratory disorders are often noted, as well as symptoms of internal organ damage. This can lead to the development of respiratory failure. As a rule, with external examination there are:
- Tachypnea;
- Pallor of the skin;
- Stable tachycardia;
- Chest sinking (fragments);
- cyanosis;
- When breathing asymmetric movements of the chest wall.
The severity of the patient's condition depends on the location of the injury and the number of broken ribs.
First aid
The primary measure is anesthesia. To do this, it is not necessary to give the patient analgesics or block them with a damaged area. Sometimes it is enough simply to give a person a comfortable position. Then you need to fix the chest as soon as possible. Because any careless movement not only causes pain, but also increases the likelihood of increased bleeding from damaged tissues. To stabilize the bone fragments of the chest, a circular fixation bandage is applied at the fracture of the ribs. It can be made from bandage or improvised materials. On probable places where there were fractures of ribs, it is necessary to put cotton-gauze pads.
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