Musculoskeletal - Rib Fracture
Caption
40 y/o M with polysubstance abuse, left-sided rib pain after a traumatic blow. Chest xray was equivocal. The patient was asked to "point to where it hurt", and the linear transducer revealed a displaced rib fracture. He complained of significant pain even after the resident gave two Percocet and was unwilling to leave the ED. An intercostal nerve block, and that relieved the patient's pain and he went home. Dr. Stephen Alerhand, Mt Sinai Hospital NYC