The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized clinical trial of rib belts for simple fractures.
The authors present a pilot study in which 20 patients with simple rib fractures were randomized prospectively into two treatment groups. One group received ibuprofen and the other group ibuprofen plus a rib belt for analgesia. There were no statistically significant differences observed in pulmonary function testing between the groups at initial visit, 48 hours, or 5 days. ⋯ Patients using rib belts uniformly reported a significant amount of additional pain relief. The clinician can use a rib belt to provide additional comfort to the patient with fractured ribs without apparent additional compromise to respiratory parameters. A further study stratifying displaced and nondisplaced fractures has been initiated to clarify the possible contributing roles of displaced rib fractures and the rib belt in patients with displaced fractures.