Clinical experience on mechanical ventilation in the treatment of traumatic flail chest

Objective To study the clinical features of traumatic flail chest and the effect of mechanical ventilation on it.Methods A retrospective analysis on the clinical characteristics,diagnostic and therapeutic experience of 32 patients with flail chest was performed in our hospital from June 2006 to May 2012.Results Twenty-six cases were cured,6 cases died. Ventilator-assisted breathing ventilation mode mainly included synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation(SIMV),pressure support (PSV) and positive end-expiratory pressure(PEEP).After mechanical ventilation,the arterial blood gas analysis of patients showed pH value,partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO2) and oxygenation index(PaO2/FiO2) significantly improved compared with those before mechanical ventilation (P0.05 or 0.01).Conclusion Mechanical ventilation can maintain respiratory function and the stability of the chest wall of patients with traumatic flail chest,which is the key to treatment of traumatic flail chest.