2022 OTA Annual Meeting : Baseline Clinical Factors Are More Predictive of Ventilator-Free Days Than Operative or Nonoperative Treatment of Acute Unstable Chest Wall Injuries: Results from a Previous Randomized Controlled Trial

207 patients with acute unstable chest wall injuries were included in this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing operative (n=108) and non-operative (n=99) management. The primary outcome of this study was to evaluate the clinical factors associated with the number of ventilator free-days within 28 days of injury. A multiple linear regression was performed. The results of the analysis found that patients who were older, were intubated at randomization, had more rib fractures, and had more comorbidities (higher CCI scores) were associated with significantly less ventilator-free days. The type of treatment was not predictive of ventilator-free days.