title: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rib fractures in infants. A postmortem radiologic-pathologic study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of rib fractures visible at autopsy or with postmortem radiographs after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in infants younger than 1 year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical examiner's office in a county consisting of a medium-sized city, towns, and rural areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one infants (56 males, 35 females; mean age, 2.4 months; age range, 26 hours to 8.5 months) without evidence of child abuse who had undergone CPR before death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records, skeletal surveys, and autopsy results were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No patient had rib fractures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is unlikely to cause rib fractures in infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worchester 01655.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Spevak
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Belanger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Primack
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Richmond
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology