Ligature of the internal iliac artery for massive haemorrhage complicating fracture of the pelvis.

Fracture of the pelvis is a common injury from falls or road traffic accidents. Review of 206 cases admitted to the Bristol Royal Infirmary from 1960 to 1965 showed that most of the fractures were not severe and that disruption of the pelvic ring occurred in only 19 per cent (Table I). There was a mortality rate of 58 per cent, but in only one case was death directly caused by the fracture : this patient died during operation from uncontrolled haemorrhage after receiving twenty-one pints of blood (Case 2). Eleven other patients died of causes unrelated to the fractured pelvis (Table II).