Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33388786›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2022

Sternal fixation for isolated traumatic sternal fractures improves pain and upper extremity range of motion.

Zachary M Bauman, Ujwal Yanala, Brett H Waibel, Gautam K Malhotra, Samuel Cemaj, Charity H Evans, Lisa L Schlitzkus

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Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Traumatic fractures of the sternum - typical distribution and need for subgroups within AO and OTA classification system?European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Traumatic sternal fractures: a narrative review.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Zachary M BaumanDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA. zachary.bauman@unmc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6229-0758
Ujwal YanalaDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
Brett H WaibelDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
Gautam K MalhotraDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
Samuel CemajDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
Charity H EvansDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
Lisa L SchlitzkusDivision of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983280 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-3280, USA.
University of Nebraska Medical Center · USNebraska Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSternal fractures are debilitating due to intractable pain, constant fracture movement and limited range of motion (ROM) of the upper extremities (UE). Traditional treatment comprises mainly of pain control, delaying return to daily activities. Recently, sternal fixation has gained popularity. There is, however, a lack of literature demonstrating efficacy. We report our experience of traumatically fractured sternal fixation.

methodsFollowing IRB approval, a retrospective chart review was completed for all patients undergoing sternal fixation by a single trauma surgeon at our Level I trauma center. Basic demographics were obtained. Primary outcomes included average cumulative pain scores, total cumulative narcotic amounts and total number of pain medication agents utilized prior to and after sternal fixation. Secondary outcome included physical therapy UE ROM before and after surgery. Paired t tests were used for comparison; significance set at p < 0.05.

resultsThirteen patients underwent sternal fixation from 8/2016 to 2/2018. Average age was 54.4 ± 20.8 years; 54% were female. All patients experienced blunt trauma; average injury severity score was 15.8 ± 10.9 and abbreviated chest injury score was 2.5 ± 0.51. Average intensive care unit/hospital length of stay was 2.3/10.2 days. Average pain scores significantly improved by a score of 3.5 postoperatively (preoperative = 7.08 ± 2.3, postoperative = 3.54 ± 2.5; p = 0.001). Total pain medications required by sternal fixation patients significantly decreased by 1 medication postoperatively (preoperative = 4.2 medications, postoperative = 3.2 medications; p = 0.002). Average narcotic requirements significantly decreased by 7.59 morphine milligram milliequivalents (MME) after sternal fixation (preoperative amount = 71.78 MME, postoperative amount = 64.19 MME; p = 0.041). Every patient had limited UE ROM preoperatively; however, all but one patient resumed full UE ROM postoperatively (p < 0.001). There were no postoperative complications.

conclusionsSternal fixation is a safe and effective procedure resulting in improved pain, decreased narcotic requirements, and faster recovery.

Indexed as

Fracture Fixation, InternalThoracic InjuriesAdultAgedFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPainPostoperative PainRange of Motion, ArticularRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeUpper ExtremityNarcoticsPainRange of motionSternal fixationTraumatic sternal fracture

Identifiers

PMID33388786
OpenAlexW3119880663

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.