The belly is in front of the chest. It is an elongated flat bone. It is tightly connected to the clavicle in verhnebokovyh parts, and sides with rib cartilage. The belly is covered with a dense front of the periosteum and strengthened cross pectoral muscle, so the sternum fractures are rare.
The mechanism of damage to the sternum - this is usually a direct blow to the sternum, which often occurs when a car accident. As a result, the displacement of the fracture of body of sternum upward and inward. The shape becomes concave sternum look.
Usually at the same time with a fractured sternum, and there is damage to the edges in place of their attachment to the sternum in the area of the fracture. Patients complain of pain in the chest aggravated by breathing. In the area of the fracture occurs swelling, bleeding. When probing reveals the pain and sometimes fragments of the sternum palpated.
Diagnosis of fracture of the sternum is carried out using X-ray images, which show a fracture line, and judge the direction of displacement of bone fragments. With a large displacement of the fragments, they can damage the pleura, lungs and other located in the thoracic cavity organs. When you break the lungs, the air from them may fall into the mediastinum, which leads to a life-threatening complications.
Treatment of fractures of the sternum.
If the fragments are not displaced sternum, conducted anesthesia. To do this, the fracture is injected local anesthetic (procaine), appointed by the pain medication by mouth or intramuscularly. In the area of the sternum is superimposed broad band of adhesive tape, to hold the fragments in place. The strip is removed in two weeks.
If the displacement of bone fragments found sternum, hold them reposition as follows. The patient should be on the hard bed, which fits under the mattress of a wooden shield, with a special roller between the shoulder blades, to prevent movement of the sternum. Thus the body the patient is in a state pererazognutom, chest muscles pull the sternum and the fragments gradually take their place.
For very large bias is sometimes necessary to compare the fragments and to strengthen their propeller. For a complete fusion of the sternum usually takes about one and a half months.
