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Chest Flail

English translation: unstable segment of chest wall (caused by fractures)

10:19 May 25, 2019
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Medical - Medical: Health Care / Respiratory trauma injuries
English term or phrase: Chest Flail
What is "flail" here?

The sample sentence:
Flail chest is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks due to trauma and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall. ... It occurs when multiple adjacent ribs are broken in multiple places, separating a segment, so a part of the chest wall moves independently.
Anthony Indra
United States
Local time: 00:50
Selected answer:unstable segment of chest wall (caused by fractures)
Explanation:
The term is "flail chest"

https://www.medilexicon.com/dictionary/16746

flail chest
Definitions
1. loss of stability of thoracic cage following fracture of sternum, ribs, or both; can cause respiratory failure.

https://sfgh.surgery.ucsf.edu/media/2741426/lecture 5 chest ...



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Note added at 9 días (2019-06-03 10:39:59 GMT) Post-grading
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Thank you, Anthony!
Selected response from:

Andrea Pilenso
Brazil
Local time: 04:50
Grading comment
Thank you
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5limp, flaccid, powerless
Michael Barnett
4to move energetically in an uncontrolled way
Nazim Taghiyev
4unstable segment of chest wall (caused by fractures)
Andrea Pilenso


  

Answers


25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
chest flail
to move energetically in an uncontrolled way


Explanation:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/flailing

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Note added at 27 mins (2019-05-25 10:47:01 GMT)
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or floating fractured rib

Nazim Taghiyev
Azerbaijan
Local time: 11:50
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in AzerbaijaniAzerbaijani
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you so much


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: I think this is probably the meaning, though I haven't been able to confirm it.
1 hr
agree  Charles Davis: Not "energetically", just "in an uncontrolled way": "flail chest results in a segment of the chest wall flailing back and forth in the opposite direction of the rest of the chest wall"
3 hrs
disagree  Michael Barnett: Paradoxically, in the medical culture the meaning is quite opposite.
1 day 11 hrs
disagree  Daryo: you can't translate/explain specialised text (like medicine) using just a general purpose dictionary - most often than not it's a pretty good recipe for disaster.// (especially of arms and legs) vs a rib-cage - context counts for something?
1 day 20 hrs
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1 day 12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
chest flail
limp, flaccid, powerless


Explanation:
The definition of a flail chest is already included in the source, so I assume the asker wants help in the definition of "flail". In the general population, the term "flail" usually describes a wild uncontrolled movement. I medicine however, the term is usually used to describe a condition of limp powerlessness. The flail chest is powerless because the support structures have been severed at both ends. A "flail arm" is limp and powerless because of a disruption of a nerve or an essential mechanical connection, etc.

Example sentence(s):
  • https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0127601
Michael Barnett
Local time: 03:50
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you so much

Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
chest flail
unstable segment of chest wall (caused by fractures)


Explanation:
The term is "flail chest"

https://www.medilexicon.com/dictionary/16746

flail chest
Definitions
1. loss of stability of thoracic cage following fracture of sternum, ribs, or both; can cause respiratory failure.

https://sfgh.surgery.ucsf.edu/media/2741426/lecture 5 chest ...



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 días (2019-06-03 10:39:59 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you, Anthony!

Andrea Pilenso
Brazil
Local time: 04:50
Does not meet criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Portuguese
Grading comment
Thank you

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: The asker already knows what the condition is, but he's asking what "flail" means.
1 hr
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