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. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Medical examiner's office in a county consisting of a medium-sized city, towns, and rural areas. PATIENTS: 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.
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. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Medical examiner's office in a county consisting of a medium-sized city, towns, and rural areas. PATIENTS: 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.