Outcomes of open pelvic fractures: A case series

Albeit rare, open pelvic fractures are life threatening injuries associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Due to their rarity, there is paucity of data and literature on best management practices. An open pelvic fracture is one where there is a connection between the fracture site and either the skin, rectum, vagina, or genitourinary system. They commonly affect young individuals involved in high energy injuries. During resuscitation, prompt recognition and control of sepsis and stabilization of unstable fractures should precede definitive management.

We conducted a retrospective study of prospectively collected data between 2012 and 2022 for patients managed in two teaching hospitals in Kenya. All patients were followed up for at least 6 months. The Faringer classification was used to classify the soft tissue wounds and the Young and Burgess classification was used to classify the pelvic fractures. We investigated their functional outcomes using their ability to ambulate independently and the Merle d' Aubigne-Postel score.

Eight patients with an average age of 31 years were included. All were referrals. Three (37.5 %) developed sepsis but resolved. Four (50 %) needed a diverting stoma, which included 2 of the 3 patients who had developed sepsis. 5(62.5 %) needed an external fixator as part of definitive management. There were no mortalities. All achieved full independent ambulation; and all our patients achieved an average Merle d' Aubigne-Postel score of 17.

Our study demonstrates that early sepsis control, appropriate fracture fixation and a multidisciplinary approach can yield satisfactory functional outcomes.