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A sternal fracture is a fracture of the sternum (the breastbone), located in the center of the chest. The injury, which occurs in 5–8% of people who experience significant blunt chest trauma , may occur in vehicle accidents, when the still-moving chest strikes a steering wheel or dashboard [ 1 ] or is injured by a seatbelt.
The sternal occipital mandibular immobilizer (SOMI) can also be used to provide support for cervical spine sprain, stable fracture, or postoperative support. [ 8 ] For thoracic and lumbar spine, support can be provided using custom-fit, hard-shell back braces , most commonly after surgery.
Median sternotomy is a type of surgical procedure in which a vertical inline incision is made along the sternum, after which the sternum itself is divided using a sternal saw. [1] This procedure provides access to the heart and lungs for surgical procedures such as heart transplant , lung transplant , corrective surgery for congenital heart ...
Fractures of the sternum are rather uncommon. They may result from trauma, such as when a driver's chest is forced into the steering column of a car in a car accident. A fracture of the sternum is usually a comminuted fracture. The most common site of sternal fractures is at the sternal angle. Some studies reveal that repeated punches or ...
During the surgery, there are several precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of postoperative wound complications. These are: minimizing traffic in the operating room, providing adequate ventilation, not closing wounds that are infected, minimize tissue handling, re-administer prophylactic antibiotics if large amounts of fluid are ...
Early fracture immobilisation and fixation helps to prevent further soft tissue injury and promotes wound and bone healing. This is especially important in the treatment of intraarticular fractures where early fixation allows early joint motion to prevent joint stiffness. Fracture management depends on the person's overall well-being, fracture ...
Since bone healing is a natural process that will occur most often, fracture treatment aims to ensure the best possible function of the injured part after healing. Bone fractures typically are treated by restoring the fractured pieces of bone to their natural positions (if necessary), and maintaining those positions while the bone heals.
A compression fracture is a collapse of a vertebra. It may be due to trauma or due to a weakening of the vertebra (compare with burst fracture ). This weakening is seen in patients with osteoporosis or osteogenesis imperfecta , lytic lesions from metastatic or primary tumors , [ 1 ] or infection. [ 2 ]