Rib fracture fixation by orthopaedic and cardiothoracic surgeons has become increasingly popular for the treatment of chest injuries in trauma. The literature, though mainly limited to Level II and III evidence, shows favourable results for operative fixation. In this paper we review the literature and discuss the indications for rib fracture fixation, surgical approaches, choice of implants and the future direction for management. With the advent of NICE guidance and new British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma (BOAST) guidelines in production, the management of rib fractures is going to become more and more commonplace.

The December 2015 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Paediatric femoral fractures: a single incision nailing?; Lateral condylar fractures: open or percutaneous?;

Forearm refracture: the risks; Tibial spine fractures; The child’s knee in MRI; The mechanics of SUFE; Idiopathic clubfoot

The December 2014 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: predicting drift in supracondylar fractures; do normal hips dislocate?; the burden of trampoline fractures; muscle eversion activity is strongly predictive of outcome in CTEV; the modified Dunn osteotomy; plaster and moulded casts; and psychology and fractures.

The February 2015 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Evaluating the syndesmosis in ankle fractures; Calcaneal fracture management an ongoing problem; Angular stable locking in low tibial fractures did not improve results; Open fractures: do the seconds really count?; Long-term outcomes of tibial fractures; Targeted performance improvements in pelvic fractures

The February 2014 Foot & Ankle Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: optimal medial malleolar fixation; resurfacing in the talus; predicting outcome in mobility ankles; whether mal-aligned ankles can be successfully replaced; cartilage colonisation in bipolar ankle grafts; CTs and proof of fusion; recalcitrant Achilles tendinopathy; and recurrent fifth metatarsal stress fractures.

The October 2014 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: proximal humeral fractures in children; quadrilateral surface plates in transverse acetabular fractures; sleep deprivation and poor outcomes in trauma; bipolar hemiarthroplasty; skeletal traction; forefoot fractures; telemedicine in trauma; ketamine infusion for orthopaedic injuries; and improved functional outcomes seen with trauma networks.

The June 2014 Trauma Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: BMP use increasing wound complication rates in trauma surgery; can we predict re-admission in trauma?; humeral bundle nailing; how best to treat high-angle femoral neck fractures?; hyperglycaemia and infection; simultaneous soft-tissue and bony repair in terrible triad injuries; metaphyseal malunion in the forearm leading to function restrictions; delayed fixation of the distal radius: not a bad option; and fasciotomies better with shoelaces

Ancient Egypt was a highly developed agrarian society with a massive civil engineering capability. Trauma and skeletal disease were common and vestiges of the evidence for that survive, largely in the form of hieratic images and papyri dedicated to the practice of medicine. The earliest treatise on trauma is the Edwin Smith papyrus, possibly the work of Imhotep. This study details some remarkable examples of musculoskeletal pathology including fatal open fractures, foot deformity of Tutankhamun, and the earliest recorded instances of child abuse.

The December 2012 Research Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: whether the rheumatoid factor is just a ‘quick test’; osteonecrosis in smokers; pasteurisation effect on bone reconstruction; venous thromboembolism risk in rheumatoids; whether stem cells reverse age-related osteopenia; the effect of running on rat knees; rapid fracture healing in rats with ultrasound; magnetic stem cells; and the safety of surgery.

The October 2013 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Half a century of Pavlik treatment; Step away from the child!: trends in fracture management; Posterolateral rotatory elbow instability in children; Osteochondral lesions undiagnosed in patellar dislocations; Oral bisphosphonates in osteogenesis imperfecta; Crossed or parallel pins in supracondylar fractures?; Not too late nor too early: getting epiphysiodesis right; Fixation of supramalleolar osteotomies.