Major pelvic fractures.

Tracy Evans is the trauma program manager and director of emergency medical services at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn. The spectrum of patients with pelvic fractures ranges from patients with isolated, simple fractures to critically injured patients with multiple other life-threatening injuries. Critical care nurses care for patients with major pelvic fractures in many settings, including transport, trauma resuscitation bays, perioperative areas, and intensive care units. Accordingly, they need to understand the issues involved in providing that care. In this article, we survey the current information on pelvic fractures, including epidemiology, anatomy, assessment of patients, hemorrhage, management, and associated injuries.