Good outcomes of open pelvic fractures

While pelvic fractures are common injuries, those which communicate with an open wound are much less commonly encountered. These injuries have been associated with high morbidity and mortality in previous studies. We investigated our experience with open pelvic fractures retrospectively over a 79-month period. A total of 17 patients were identified, representing 2.7% of all pelvic fractures seen during this time period. There were no fatalities among the 15 patients who were not in cardiac arrest on arrival. Associated injuries were present in all patients. Functional outcome was good in eight patients and fair in seven. Although open pelvic fractures are severe injuries, survival in our study was 100% in those not arriving in cardiac arrest. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.