Traumatic rib fractures (RF) are a relatively common occurrence in patients of all ages, with a 10% incidence in all trauma patients and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Adequate analgesia is paramount for preventing pulmonary complications and can reduce morbidity and mortality. There is longstanding evidence of lidocaine's effectiveness and safety in the post-operative patient and the investigators hypothesize that this modality may prove to be ideal in trauma patients with RF. Therefore, it is imperative that intravenous lidocaine be investigated to ascertain if there is significant benefit for pain reduction in patients who have sustained rib fractures. A single-centre, double-blind, randomized control trial to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of a 72-96 hour IV lidocaine infusion plus standard analgesics versus placebo infusion plus standard analgesics will be performed on patients (age 18 or older) diagnosed with two or more traumatic rib fractures ,from blunt thoracic trauma, requiring hospital admission at Victoria Hospital. The primary outcome is mean pain score, as measured on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) when the patient is at rest and with movement. Secondary outcomes are protocol adherence, patient satisfaction as measured on the VAS, incidence of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, mortality, incidence of lidocaine toxicity, treatment regimens (use of additional non-opioid analgesics) and total morphine equivalents used (including breakthrough doses). This trial will serve to quantify the analgesic efficacy of intravenous lidocaine for patients with traumatic rib fractures. Successful completion of a single centre trial will inform the development of a multi-centre trial powered to demonstrate a reduction in respiratory failure in the trauma population.
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Mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Score for Pain
Timeframe: Pain score to be measured before treatment initiation and every 6 hours thereafter until 72-96 hours. Scores will be performed by bedside nursing.