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RACS ASC 2026
Outcomes in SSRF; Experience in a Level 1 Trauma Centre
Verbal Presentation

Verbal Presentation

10:37 am

03 May 2026

Meeting Room M7

RESEARCH PAPERS

Disciplines

Trauma Surgery

Presentation Description

Institution: Royal Perth Hospital - WA, Australia

Purpose: To describe early and medium-term outcomes following SSRF implementation over 7 years in a level 1 trauma centre, as management of severe blunt chest wall trauma. Methodology: A retrospective review was conducted over the previous 7 years at Royal Perth Hospital SMTU. Patients were identified using theatre coding, and a variety of variables were collected via imaging, clinical notes and DMR. Collected variables included demographics, mechanism of injury, injury severity, chest wall morphology, timing and indications for fixation, ventilatory days post‐fixation, tracheostomy, pulmonary and wound complications, mortality, and documented clinical or radiological short-term outcomes. Results: The cohort was comprised of patients with more than 10 rib fractures secondary to high-energy blunt force chest trauma following motor vehicle and motorbike crashes. Common indications for SSRF were chest wall deformity, clinical or radiological flail, or respiratory failure despite maximal conservative management. SSRF was carried out within 72 hours of arrival at RPH in most cases. Ventilatory duration post fixation varied from no requirement to prolonged courses requiring tracheostomy, commonly in the context of associated traumatic brain injury. Complications occurred in a substantial minority. Mortality reflected overall injury burden and treatment‐limitation decisions rather than chest wall injury alone. Among patients with available follow‐up, most demonstrated satisfactory healing and functional recovery. Conclusion: In this level 1 trauma centre, SSRF for severe blunt chest wall trauma was associated with acceptable complication rates, low procedure‐related mortality and favourable functional outcomes, supporting its continued use within a structured protocol and providing a foundation for future comparative effectiveness studies.
Presenters
Authors
Authors

Dr Cormac Mulhall - , Dr Julia Shearer - , Dr Rohit Sarvepalli - , Dr Sana Nasim - , Prof Dieter Weber -