Surgical Questions and Answers

Free Medical and Surgical Questions And Answers

3. Which ribs are most often fractured?

Correct answer:

The commonest injury to the chest is fracture of the ribs by a direct blow. The most commonly affected ribs are the seventh, eighth and ninth, in which the fracture occurs in the region of the midaxillary line. The patient complains of pain in the chest overlying the fracture and this pain is intensified by springing the ribs with gentle but sharp pressure on the sternum.