A broken sternum can in rare cases cause long term effects and a small number of people that have had a broken sternum develop a nonunion or chronic pain.
Most people with a broken sternum experience a great and full recovery within 4 weeks to 6 weeks.
Sternal fractures are predominantly associated with deceleration injuries and blunt anterior chest trauma (incidence of 3-6.8% in motor vehicle collisions).
Consider the diagnosis on the basis of the mechanism of injury.
Direct trauma is the most common cause of injury (eg, motor vehicle accidents, sports, and falls).
Possible complications of a broken sternum include.
Pain: Immediate (acute) and can be severe over the area and is sore to touch and worse on certain movements.
Deformity: Occasionally if the sternum is badly displaced a tender lump can develop over the fracture site.
Isolated sternal fracture is a benign condition which generally heals with conservative treatment.
But sometimes surgical intervention is necessary due to pain, other organ injury and union problems.
There are several ways for repair; however, the best method is not yet defined.
Most people with with isolated sternal fractures continue to have long term pain and it may be useful to warn patients that pain is likely to last for some time.
Traumatic cardiac injury is not rare.
Especially cardiac contusion with sternal fracture due to blunt trauma in common.
But cardiac rupture due to direct injury from fractured sternum in very rare.