Acute traumatic sternal fracture in a female college hockey player.

摘要

I read with interest the article "Acute traumatic sternal fracture in a female college hockey player" (http://www.orthosuper-site.com/view.aspx?rid=67842) in the September 2010 issue of Orthopedics. The authors provided an excellent up-to-date summary of the investigation and management of a sport-related sternal fracture. However, I would like to bring 2 items to the attention of the Journal's readers.First, and most importantly, I must express my concern with the statement: "...a negative EKG sufficiently rules out any injury to the myocardium."While I agree with the broad implication of the statement, I would add the proviso, which is indicative of current Australian Emergency Medicine practice for the investigation and management of a similar sternal fracture (personal communication, Associate Professor RJ. Dunn, Director Clinical and Academic Emergency Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia), that at least 1 repeat EKG is recommended and that consideration be given to further investigation and observation of the patient should they have a history of cardiac disease.