858 The Effect of a ‘Rib Fracture Pathway’ on the Efficiency of Rib Block Delivery at a UK Major Trauma Centre

Aim

Rib fractures carry a mortality rate of 10% which is doubled in the elderly population. They are common following blunt thoracic trauma and are a marker of injury severity. Timely delivery of regional analgesia is crucial to prevent secondary respiratory complications. We compare the time taken from admission to administration of a regional block in patients with >2 rib fractures before and after the implementation of a rib fracture pathway.

Method

Retrospective data was collected from 22 pre-pathway and 47 post-pathway patients who were given a regional block after suffering >2 rib fractures. Demographic data, ISS, length of stay and respiratory complications were collected. Need for block was determined by clinical factors including uncontrolled pain and limited respiratory effort.

Results

Time to block from admission was longer in pre-pathway patients (41.9±33.8 vs 23.9±21.2 hours, p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in length of stay (21.6±14.2 vs 19.9±14.5, p = 0.3).

Pre-pathway patients were significantly younger (54.6±15.0 vs 66.8±17.4 years, p = 0.006) and had fewer rib fractures (5.4±2.3 vs 7.4±3.5, p = 0.02).

The mean ISS was 24.1±10.3 and 18.1±8.5 in the pre- and post-pathway patients, respectfully (p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in post-admission chest infection rates (18.2% vs 23.4%, p = 0.4).

Conclusions

The time taken from admission to block in patients with multiple rib fractures significantly reduced following the implementation of a ‘Rib Fracture Pathway’ at a UK Major Trauma Centre. Further work is required to determine whether this will affect length of stay or patient outcomes.