Closed chest compressions after rib plating

Effective conventional closed chest compressions (CCC) in the treatment of cardiac arrest in adults is associated with sternal and rib fractures. Although rare, these fractures can result in life-threatening injuries such as cardiac laceration and pericardial tamponade (1,2). The popularity of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) is on the rise, owing to increasing evidence suggesting its association with improved analgesia, faster return to work, reduced hospital stay, and decreased incidence rates of respiratory failure and pneumonia (3,4). The feasibility and effect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on rib plates are still largely unknown (5). To our knowledge, only one previous case report has discussed the effects of CCC on rib plating where hardware failure occurred (6). We present a patient with rib plates who received successful CCC during multiple cycles of CPR.