Methocarbamol use is associated with decreased hospital length of stay in trauma patients with closed rib fractures

Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of methocarbamol on hospital length of stay in patients with closed rib fracture injuries. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in an academic medical center in the United States. Adult trauma patients, who sustained closed rib fractures, were included. Patients were categorized based on whether they received methocarbamol or not during admission. The primary outcome of interest was time to hospital discharge in days (i.e. length of hospital stay). A Cox Proportional Hazards Model was constructed to determine if methocarbamol use was associated with a greater likelihood of earlier discharge. Results A total of 592 patients were included in the final study cohort. Of these, 329 received methocarbamol and 263 did not receive methocarbamol. In the Cox Proportional Hazards Model methocarbamol use was associated with a greater likelihood of being discharged from the hospital (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.78, p < 0.001). Conclusions The use of methocarbamol after traumatic rib fractures may result in a reduction in the length of hospital stay.