Causes of mortality in patients with pelvic fractures.

During 6 years we treated nearly 500 patients with pelvic fractures. Three hundred forty-eight were admitted directly to our hospital following blunt injuries; these patients formed the basis of this review. There were 220 men and 128 women with an average age of 31 years, a mean Injury Severity Score of 21.8, and an average hospital stay of 16.5 days. Almost two thirds of patients were injured in motor vehicle accidents, and about one eighth were pedestrians struck by a vehicle. Smaller numbers were injured in crushing accidents, motorcycle accidents, falls, and miscellaneous injuries. Only 32 patients (9%) had an isolated pelvic fracture. Associated injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, and upper and lower extremities were frequent, and these injuries often had a greater impact on outcome than the pelvic fracture. Twenty-eight patients died, an overall mortality rate of 8%. Only four deaths (14.3%) were a direct result of the pelvic fracture, and bleeding from a transected femoral artery contributed to one of these deaths. Most deaths were caused by severe head injury, nonpelvic hemorrhage, and multiple organ failure. Although the pelvic fracture may result in prolonged hospitalization, and can be a cause of extended disability, it is an infrequent cause of mortality.

Complications of pelvic fractures from blunt trauma.

Significant external forces are required to fracture a normal pelvis. These forces usually result from rapid deceleration or crushing injuries, and energy often is delivered to multiple anatomic sites in addition to the pelvis. Associated injuries are common, and numerous complications can occur in patients with pelvic fractures. During 4 years, the authors treated 144 men and 92 women with pelvic fractures from blunt trauma who were admitted directly to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. They had a mean age of 31.5 years, a mean Injury Severity Score of 21.3, and an average hospital stay of 16.8 days. Seventy-seven of the 236 patients (32.6%) had 137 complications, including 18 deaths. Most of these were infections such as pneumonia (6), urinary tract infections (8), wound infections (8), or sepsis without a defined source (10). There was a high incidence of pulmonary complications including Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (12), significant atelectasis (7), and fat emboli (3). Musculoskeletal complications (13) and coagulopathy (12) also occurred frequently. Eight patients had thromboembolic events, but prophylactic, subcutaneous heparin was not beneficial in preventing these complications. Patients with complications had higher Injury Severity Scores, lower Trauma Scores, increased transfusion requirements, longer hospital stays, and greater hospital charges compared to those without complications (P less than 0.01 for all variables). There was no association of complications with patient age, sex, mechanism of injury, anatomic site or amount of displacement of the pelvic fracture, or vector of injury. Patients with unstable pelvic fractures were much more likely to have complications than were those with stable pelvic fractures (P = 0.013).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pelvic fracture from major blunt trauma. Outcome is determined by associated injuries.

Pelvic hemorrhage has been implicated as the cause of death in 50% of patients who die following pelvic fractures. To establish correlates of morbidity and mortality from pelvic fractures due to blunt trauma, we reviewed 236 patients treated during 4 years. The average age of the 144 men and 92 women was 31.5 years, the average Injury Severity Score was 21.3, the average blood requirement was 5 units, and the average hospital stay was 16.8 days. One hundred fifty-two patients (64.4%) were injured in motor vehicle accidents, 33 (14%) had motor vehicle-pedestrian accidents, 16 (6.8%) had crush injuries, 12 (5.1%) each had either motorcycle accidents or falls, and 11 (4.6%) had miscellaneous accidents. Eighteen patients (7.6%) died, with seven (38.9%) deaths due to hemorrhage. Only one death was caused by pelvic hemorrhage. Other deaths were due to hemorrhage from other sites (6), head injury (5), sepsis or multiple-organ failure (4), pulmonary injury (1), and pulmonary embolus (1). None of the septic deaths was related to a pelvic hematoma. Multivariate multiple regression analysis showed that the severity of injury was correlated with indices of severity of pelvic fractures such as fracture site (p less than 0.0001), fracture displacement (p less than 0.005), pelvic stability (p less than 0.0001), and vector of injury (p less than 0.01). However death could not be predicted on the basis of these indices of severity (p greater than 0.28). Of the nine patients who underwent pelvic arteriography, three required embolization of actively bleeding pelvic vessels, but seven had intra-abdominal hemorrhage that required laparotomy, and eight developed a coagulopathy. Massive bleeding from pelvic fractures was uncommon, and the major threat of hemorrhage was from nonpelvic sites. Furthermore, although injury severity was correlated with the severity of the pelvic fracture, hospital outcome was determined by associated injuries and not by the pelvic fracture.

Interlocked intramedullary nailing of the humerus.

Indications for use of the intramedullary interlocked humeral nail are: pathologic fractures, including those with severe osteopenia alone; nonunions, especially those with bone atrophy and/or marked osteopenia; and humeral shaft fractures with comminution, bone loss, or other causes of instability not controlled by conventional treatment methods. In this series, eight patients were treated by intramedullary interlocked humeral nail. Follow up ranged up to 30 months, with an average of 12 months. Five of six patients in this series who had the potential to unite their fractures did so. The remaining patient had a painless fibrous union. While the two patients with pathologic fractures of the humeral shaft caused by malignant tumors did not unite their fractures, the pain relief, functional recovery, and lack of postoperative morbidity justified the operative procedure.

Metastatic transitional cell carcinoma mimicking primary bone tumor.

We have presented a case of transitional cell carcinoma metastatic to the tibia in which the clinical history and roentgenographic findings simulated a primary bone tumor.

Tibial plateau fractures. A review of operative treatment using AO technique.

In a retrospective review of 80 tibial plateau fractures, 28 fractures were treated nonoperatively with a variety of closed methods and 52 were treated with open reduction and internal fixation using AO technique. At an average follow up of 24 months, a satisfactory result was obtained in 87% of the operatively treated patients and in 66% of those treated nonoperatively. It appears that stable, minimally displaced fractures do equally well with closed or open treatment. Patients with depressed, displaced, or unstable fractures did better with operative treatment. When operative treatment is planned the principles and techniques of internal fixation should be carefully followed.

Open reduction and internal fixation of vertical shear pelvic fractures.

The goal in the treatment of vertical shear fractures of the pelvis is to achieve and maintain an accurate reduction of the displaced hemipelvis. Open reduction and internal fixation of the posterior pelvic ring injury along with either internal or external fixation of the anterior pelvic ring injury was used in 12 vertical shear fractures in 11 patients. The posterior fixation was aided by accurate definition of the injury pattern, use of preoperative traction, early surgical treatment, use of flexible instruments, and identification of the posterior sacral foramina, which were used as a guide to allow accurate screw placement into the sacrum and avoid nerve root injury. The procedure was not associated with an increased rate of infection or neural injury. In the ten patients followed more than 1 year there were no late displacements of the hemipelvis and all of the fractures healed.

Open reduction and internal fixation of humeral shaft fractures. Results using AO plating techniques.

Thirty-six patients with an acute fracture of the humeral shaft were treated by open reduction and internal fixation using AO plating techniques. In thirty-two patients an open fracture or multiple injuries, or both, were the indications for internal fixation. Four patients were treated after non-operative treatment failed to maintain a satisfactory reduction. Follow-up was possible for thirty-four patients and showed that thirty-three fractures united primarily and one failed to unite, necessitating two subsequent procedures. Two superficial wound infections in patients with an open fracture and one transient postoperative radial-nerve palsy were the only complications. A functional range of motion in the elbow and shoulder was regained in all but six patients, and they had severe skeletal or soft-tissue injuries in the same extremity. When indicated, internal fixation using plating techniques can give good results provided the correct principles of fixation are carefully followed.

Closed Kuntscher nailing of humeral shaft fractures.

Eighteen acute humeral shaft fractures were managed with closed Kuntscher nailing. Six were pathologic fractures. Stability, pain relief, and evidence of early fracture healing were achieved. Twelve fractures were stabilized because of multiple trauma and/or inadequate closed reduction: 11 of these healed within 3 months, and only one delayed union occurred. The most frequent complication was a decreased range of motion in the shoulder, which improved with rehabilitation. Despite reports of high complication rates, we have found that intramedullary fixation of the humerus can be used in selected patients with good results.