RibFix Blu®

Thoracic Fixation System

A rigid fixation system of metal plates and screws connected on the outside of the rib bone to stabilise the fracture site helping facilitate the patient’s healing process.

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RibFix Blu® system features:

Pre-contoured and narrow plate design.

The plates are engineered to match the natural shape of the ribs, offering stability for direct bone healing while considering the natural movement of the chest wall.

Cancellous self-drilling screw design.

Innovative plate-to-bone approximation tools allow surgeons to precisely place the plates along the rib.

Benefits of Rib Fixation

Rib fractures are one of the most common injuries, occurring in approximately 10 percent of all trauma patients.¹ Compared to the non-surgical conservative treatment, several studies show support for the surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF).

Benefits of rib fixation may include:

69% LOWER RISK OF MORTALITY².

The majority (7/10) of reviews found significant reductions in mortality rate (between 56% and 76%) for patients undergoing surgical rib stabilization when compared to conservative treatment.

4.95 FEWER DAYS OF MECHANICAL VENTILATION³.

Studies of patients reporting mechanical ventilation after surgical rib stabilization found a reduction of days that a mechanical ventilator was needed.

4.5 FEWER DAYS IN THE ICU²⁴.

ICU length of stay was found to be significantly shorter for surgical rib stabilization patients. Reported reductions range from 2 days to 6.5 days through various studies.

7.4 FEWER DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL⁵.

Hospital length of stay was found to be shorter for surgical rib stabilization patients in all but one study. Reductions in hospital stay range from 3.8 fewer days to 11.4 fewer days.

61% LESS RISK OF PNEUMONIA³⁶⁷.

Patients with surgical rib stabilization had 41% to 82% lower risk of pneumonia.

66% LESS RISK OF TRACHEOSTOMY³.

Patients who had surgical rib stabilization have shown to have a range of 41% lower to 88% lower risk of tracheostomy. This is an opening in the neck to place a tube into a person’s windpipe.

References: 1. F.M. Pieracci, et al., Consensus statement: Surgical stabilization of rib fractures rib fracture colloquium clinical practice guidelines, Injury (2016), https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-ribs/symptoms-causes/syc-20350763 2. Slobogean GP, MacPherson CA, Sun T, Pelletier ME, Hameed SM. Surgical fixation vs nonoperative management of flail chest: a meta-analysis. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2013;216(2):302- 311.e301. 3. Liang YS, Yu KC, Wong CS, Kao Y, Tiong TY, Tam KW. Does Surgery Reduce the Risk of Complications Among Patients with Multiple Rib Fractures? A Meta- analysis. Clinical orthopaedics and related research. 2019;477(1):193-205 4. Kasotakis G, Hasenboehler EA, Streib EW, et al. Operative fixation of rib fractures after blunt trauma: a practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 2017;82(3):618-626. 5. Liu X, Xiong K. Surgical management versus non-surgical management of rib fractures in chest trauma:a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of cardiothoracic surgery. 2019;14(1):45. 6. Coughlin TA, Ng JW, Rollins KE, Forward DP, Ollivere BJ. Management of rib fractures in traumatic flail chest: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The bone & joint journal. 2016;98-b(8):1119-1125. 7. Liang YS, Yu KC, Wong CS, Kao Y, Tiong TY, Tam KW. Does Surgery Reduce the Risk of Complications Among Patients with Multiple Rib Fractures? A Meta- analysis. Clinical orthopaedics and related research. 2019;477(1):193-205