Carolinas Chest Wall Injury Program

The Carolinas Chest Wall Injury Program focuses on the total care of patients with thoracic trauma. As national leaders in rib fracture care, our team employs a multidisciplinary approach and the use of cutting-edge technology to provide the best possible outcomes for this patient population.

Acute Rib Fixation

Rib fractures are a common injury seen at trauma centers and can result in prolonged disability and even death. Operative management of patients with flail chest is quickly becoming the standard of care. The proven benefits include decreased length of stay, lower complication rates, lower narcotic usage and a faster return to work. In our experience, early plate and screw fixation of multiple rib fractures improves patient outcomes. Injured patients should be aggressively screened and considered for potential fixation.

The Carolinas Chest Wall Injury Program brings together experts to treat the following complex injuries and conditions 24 hours a day, every day:

• Complex Rib & Sternal Fractures
• Flail Chest
• Slipped Rib Syndrome
• Retained Hemothorax /Empyema
• Pulmonary Parenchymal Injury
• ARDS
• Severe Lung Failure after Trauma

The Carolinas Chest Wall Injury Program is part of the Division of Acute Care Surgery. All of these surgeons are dual-board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Our practice consists of general and trauma surgery in Atrium Health’s F. H. “Sammy” Ross Trauma Center and the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit of Carolinas Medical Center.

Carolinas Medical Center Surgical Critical Care Intensivists have the expertise to manage all complex injuries and disease processes, and offer around the-clock, comprehensive critical care coverage.

For Providers

Transferring Patients to Carolinas Medical Center

The team at Atrium Health’s TeleHealth Solutions provides referring facilities with a responsive, reliable process for the transfer of patients to Carolinas Medical Center's Charlotte-area facilities. TeleHealth's goal is to provide efficient coordination of patient referrals with MedCenter Air and Bed Management to serve complex patients. Follow-up documentation is provided to referring providers via electronic access to patient data.

These lines are for physicians only:

• CMC Physician Connection Line (for adult patients):
  704-512-7878
  877-CMC-MD97
• Levine Children's Hospital Physician Line:
  704-446-KIDS
  888-279-5437