A bi-institutional observational study comparing short-term and long-term outcome of operative and non-operative management of clinical and radiological flail chest injuries

Table 2 Hospital outcome measures of patients managed operatively (Op group) or non-operatively (Non-Op group) for flail chest injuries

Variable	Op group ( n = 62)	Non-Op group ( n = 73)	p -value
Mechanical ventilator
Need (n, %)	18 (29.0)	21 (29.2)	0.986
Days^a (median, P₅, P₉₅)	8.5 (1.0, 40.5)	8.0 (1.0, 31.3)	0.936
ICU care
Need (n, %)	31 (50.0)	39 (53.4)	0.691
Days^a (median, P₅, P₉₅)	6.0 (1.0, 40.8)	5.0 (1.0, 31.2)	0.926
Hospital LOS
Days (median, P₅, P₉₅)	14.0 (7.2, 44.9)	11 (2.7, 41.6)	0.001
Tracheostomy
(n, %)	8 (12.9)	6 (8.2)	0.374
Pneumonia
(n, %)	11 (17.7)^b	27 (37.0)	0.013
Empyema
(n, %)	0 (0)	3 (4.1)
Re-operation
(n, %)	2 (3.2)	n/a
Mortality
30-days (n, %)	2 (3.2)	2 (2.7)	0.868
One-year (n, %)	5 (8.1)	5 (6.8)	0.788

Continuous variables are shown as median with P₅ and P₉₅ and compared with Mann–Whitney U test. Categorical variables are shown as number and per cent and compared with Pearson’s chi-square Test or Fisher’s Exact Τest
ICU Intensive Care Unit, LOS Length of Stay, P₅ = 5 th percentile, P₉₅ = 95 th percentile, n/a = not applicable
^aAnalysis includes only patients with need of mechanical ventilation or intensive care, respectively
^bPresent pre-operatively (n = 5)

ISSN: 1757-7241