DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2019.v07i07.013

Pages: 445-446

Objective: The association of scapular fractures with other life-threatening injuries is widely recognized. However, few studies have studied this suspected association. In this study, we studied the incidence of injuries associated with scapular fracture and their severity. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted from June 2017 to June 2018 in the resuscitation department of the Moulay Ismail Military Hospital in Meknes. All traumatized patients have been identified. Patient demographics, mechanism of injuries, associated injuries, ISS and survival scores were recorded, the data were generated by SPSS 10 software. Results: During the study period, 30 traumatized patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of the Moulay Ismail Military Hospital in Meknes. Of these patients, 05 (16.6%) had fractured the scapula. The most common cause of injury was motor vehicle crashes, which occurred in 27 cases (90%), followed by falls (3 cases, 10%). There were 01 (20%) patients presenting scapular fracture with SSI <15.01, (20%) with SSI = 15-25 and 03 (60%) with SSI> 25. All of our patients had associated injuries, mainly chest injuries consisting of pneumothorax and lung contusion. Cranial and cervical trauma was the second most common concomitant lesions. There was no blunt thoracic aortic injury in all these patients with scapular fracture. Conclusion: The scapular fracture is a rare injury and has received little attention in medical literature. Although this study had only 2 deaths and the patients did not die directly from a scapular fracture, the associated injuries resulted in death. In this study, three factors are identified to determine the probability of mortality: thoracic or cerebral lesions and high ISS score. Therefore, scapular fractures should alert health personnel to the presence of other injuries, such as thoracic, nerve, and vascular injuries, and should be seen as a marker of a critical injury.