A decade of surgical stabilization of rib fractures: the effect of study year on patient selection, operative characteristics, and in-hospital outcome

•Intra-operative characteristics and in-hospital outcomes after SSRF changed significantly over the years.•In-hospital outcomes improved over the decade that SSRF has been implemented.•Operative time and time per plate fixated increased over the study period.•When evaluating outcomes after SSRF, it is suggested to account for study year.