Contrasting Pain Management Strategies in a Retrospective Study of Patients with Traumatic Multiple Rib Fractures (TURFs)

There is a lack of consensus on best practice on pain management in patients with Traumatic Multiple Rib Fractures (TURFs). The objective was a pilot study to describe the use of pain management modalities for TURFs. Descriptive and statistical analyses were conducted on data from retrospective chart review. The number of rib fractures and length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU), and on ventilator differed between treatment modalities. This demonstrates the need for a prospective, randomized control trial to determine best practice of pain management in patients with TURFs.