To summarize the clinical experiences of 30 patients with multiple rib fractures who underwent internal fixation surgery assisted by video-assisted thoracic surgery.

30 cases of single-port thoracoscopic assisted internal fixation surgery of rib fractures were accomplished in two hospitals, Renji Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine Shanghai Jiaor Tong University and Yulong Naxi Autonomous Country People’s Hospital University respectively from October 2011 to March 2012 and December 2013 to May 2014.Causes of chest trauma are as following: 15 cases of traffic accident, 8 cases of industrial injury, 5 cases of fall injury (including 3 cases of horse riding injury), 2 cases of affray. Fractured ribs in all patients were more than 3, with a maximum case of 14 fractured bilateral ribs . The first 20 cases in Renji Hospital used Nitinol alloy shape memory ribs to encircle the bone plate, and the other 10 cases used pure titanium bone plate, all of which could be used to fix the fracture end of the rib satisfactorily.The intrapleural blood clot was removed, and the pulmonary laceration was closed by incision suture device under single-port thoracoscopy. Thoracoscopic light can accurately guide and cut open the skin and chest wall tissue in internal fixation surgery.Closed thoracic drainage tube was placed through thoracoscopy's single port intraoperatively.

No death occurred during perioperative period.The average postoperative hospitalization was 5.8 days. All recovered and discharged from hospital. Up to now, all patients survived safely except for 3 cases of pain at the internal fixation site that needed to be treated.

Single-port thoracoscopic assisted internal fixation surgery for rib fractures has advantages such as more accurate in the treatment, and smaller wounds after treatment.

Multi-fractures of ribs; Internal fixation; Thoracoscope