Surgical treatment of pelvic ring fractures

Unstable pelvic ring disruptions result from high energy trauma and often are associated with multiple concomitant injuries (1–3). Hemorrhage, head injury, pelvic soft tissue trauma (open fractures), and primary system complications are responsible for high mortality rates (4–6). If the patient is hemodynamically unstable the primary goals are to control airways, to establish adequate ventilation and to maintain circulation. The external fixation frame may play a role in partial stabilization of the pelvic ring, reducing pelvic volume, increasing tamponade, and thereby reducing bleeding (7–10). Once patients are stabilized, careful assessment and definitive treatment of the pelvic ring injuries can be done.