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Pelvic fractures in a pediatric level I trauma center
Nicolas Grisoni1, Susan Connor, Eric Marsh
1Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Objectives:
Assess the characteristics associated with the risk of complications and mortality in children sustaining pelvic fractures.
Setting:
Urban university pediatric Level I trauma center in a large metropolitan community.
Patients/Participants:
Retrospective analysis of 57 consecutive children with 66 pelvic fractures seen between 1993 and 1999.
Intervention:
Fifty-two patients were treated nonoperatively, and five patients required operative stabilization (four acetabular fractures and one partial sacroiliac joint disruption).
Main Outcome Measure:
Type and cause of pelvic fracture, type of management used, incidence of associated injuries, hemorrhage requiring transfusion, and mortality.
Results:
Hemorrhage directly related to the pelvic fracture occurred in only one patient (2%), whereas 11 other patients required transfusions associated with other body-area injuries. Three patients with pelvic fractures died (5%), but deaths were due to other body-area injuries.
Conclusions:
Children with pediatric pelvic fractures require careful evaluation for other body-area injuries, as these are most likely to be related to hemorrhage or mortality.