Unstable Pelvic Fractures eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Graf & Karunakar 2008
This article focuses on unstable pelvic fractures, which are usually caused by high-energy injuries. The most common high-energy mechanism of injury is a motor vehicle accident. Patients who sustain these injuries not only have the osseous injury but also often have concomitant life-threatening injuries. Younger people are more likely to be involved in these accidents. Early death after these injuries is usually due to hemorrhage, multiple organ system failure, or sepsis. These unstable high-energy pelvic fractures require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
Synonyms and related keywords: open-book fractures, Tile type B fractures, anterior-posterior compression injury, APC injury, lateral compression injury, LC injury, vertical shear injury, VS injury, combined mechanism injury, zone I sacral injury, zone II sacral injury, zone III sacral injury, pelvic fracture, fracture of the pelvis, acetabular fractures, lateral compression fractures, transverse fractures of the pubic rami, avulsion fracture, Young classification system, anterior-posterior compression fractures, anteroposterior compression fractures, pelvic ring injuries, broken pelvis, cracked pelvis, shattered pelvis, fractured hip, broken hip