Article ID: 34.4_02
In patients with multiple rib fractures, limited movement accompanied by severe pain prevents improvement in performing activities of daily living (ADL). Multiple rib fractures are often associated with long hospital stays ; therefore, to improve the performance of ADL, it is important to accurately assess the patient’s pain and provide sufficient pain relief. In clinical situations, subjective pain scales, such as the Numerical Rating Scale, are not sufficient for assessing pain to improve the performance of ADL. We developed an alternative pain scale to address this issue. The maximum inspiratory volume of patients can be measured using incentive spirometry (IS). The present study evaluated whether IS values are useful for the objective measurement of pain. Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 from 41 patients with multiple (>2) rib fractures. Patients who received ventilator support and/or exhibited dementia were excluded. Patients demonstrated improvement in performing ADL after receiving pain relief according to our protocol based on the IS value. Rib fractures cause pain during deep breathing ; therefore, the measurement of IS before and after providing pain relief is a useful and objective measurement of pain.
