Table 4.

Articles dealing with the timing of stabilization of the thoracic spine in polytraumatized patients

References	Purpose	Study design	n	FU (months)	Main message	Ev-L
Schinkel et al. [17]	Impact of early spine stabilization within 72 h in mortality and hospital stay in patients with severe thoracic injuries	Retrospective case series	298	3–12	Early stabilization was associated with a shorter intensive care unit stay, shorter mechanical ventilation, and shorter hospital stay Reduced expected mortality after early stabilization	IV
Lubelski et al. [10]	Impact of very early spine stabilization within 36 h on the outcome with additional severe thoracic injuries	Prospective case series	340	Hospital stay	Significant lower complication rate after early treatment	III
Frangen et al. [4]	Impact of early spine (72 h) stabilization in polytraumatized patients with severe thoracic injuries	Retrospective case series	160	Hospital stay	No effect for patients with minor thoracic injuries Beneficial effect for patients with severe thoracic injuries with fewer pulmonary complications, shorter ventilator support, shorter hospital stay	IV
Konieczny et al. [6]	Impact of early thoracic spine stabilization within 3 days after trauma	Prospective case series	38	Hospital stay	Early operated patients in severe thoracic trauma and low initial Hb levels (< 10 g/dL) and/or a thoracic drain may pose a risk for poor outcome	III