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Role of External Fixators in Pelvic Fracture Treatment

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Basic Techniques for Extremity Reconstruction
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Abstract

Pelvic ring fractures constitute 2% of all fractures, although the incidence increases. The mortality rate associated with these types of fractures is reported as 1–2%, depending on the severity of the trauma. However, the mortality rate in closed pelvic ring fracture cases with polytrauma can be up to 10–15%. When pelvic fractures are concomitant with intracranial bleeding and abdominal injuries, the mortality rate is increased to 50%. In open pelvic fractures, the mortality rate is reported to be 30–50%. The determining factors for mortality is age, injury severity, and the amount of bleeding [1–7].

The treatment of pelvic fractures was first defined by Gibson in 1841 as “bed rest.” Afterwards Watson-Jones proposed hammocks and pelvipedal casting. In time, Levine, Letournel, and Jevett used external fixators in the treatment of these fractures. Nevertheless, the modern approaches for the treatment of pelvic fractures was specified by Tile [3, 4].

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Correspondence to Cengiz Sen .

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Sen, C. (2018). Role of External Fixators in Pelvic Fracture Treatment. In: Çakmak, M., Şen, C., Eralp, L., Balci, H., Civan, M. (eds) Basic Techniques for Extremity Reconstruction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45675-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45675-1_14

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