Hemipelvectomy due to severe pelvic fracture secondary to a traffic accident: clinical case

Abstract

Most pelvic injuries in young patients are due to high-energy blunt trauma, although frail and elderly patients may suffer these injuries from a low-energy mechanism (i.e., a fall from standing height). High-energy trauma increases the likelihood of concomitant injuries, which are likely to involve the abdominal and pelvic viscera. Pelvic fractures account for approximately 3 percent of all skeletal injuries. Overall mortality from pelvic fractures ranges from 5 to 16 percent, with unstable pelvic fractures accounting for about 8 percent. Open pelvic fractures, which make up 2 to 4 percent of all pelvic fractures, are associated with a mortality rate of up to 45–50 percent. The most common mechanisms of pelvic fractures include motor vehicle collisions and motorcycle accidents (43 to 58 percent), pedestrians struck by a motor vehicle (20 to 22 percent), and falls (5 to 30 percent). This clinical case presents a 25-year-old female who suffered pelvic trauma secondary to a traffic accident, resulting in an open type IIIC pelvic fracture with injury to the external iliac artery, as well as the left femoral artery and vein. Due to progression to non-viability of the limb, a left hemipelvectomy was performed.