What is the difference between a stable and unstable pelvic fracture?

Stable Pelvic Fractures: Have single point breakage in the pelvis ring and broken bones remain in position; shows less bleeding. Unstable Pelvic Fractures: Have breakage at two or more points, followed by severe bleeding.

Which types of pelvic fracture are unstable?

Types of unstable pelvic fractures: (Left) Anterior-posterior compression fracture. (Right) Lateral compression fracture. In this fracture, the pelvis is pushed inward. Vertical shear fracture.

What is a punctured pelvis?

A pelvis fracture is a break of the ring of bones that connect your spine to the hips. These fractures usually result from high energy injuries such as car accidents or falls from a height in younger patients and most often from falls in the elderly patient.

What causes open book fracture?

Open book pelvic injuries result from an anteroposterior compression injury to the pelvis and result in a combination of ligamentous rupture and/or fractures to both the anterior and posterior arches 5: anterior arch: pubic diastasis (+/- sacrotuberous/sacrospinous ligamentous disruption) and/or pubic rami fractures.

How long does it take for a stable pelvic fracture to heal?

Pelvic fractures usually take 8 to 12 weeks to fully heal. More severe pelvic fractures could take longer, especially if you have other injuries or medical complications from the event that caused your pelvic fracture.

Is a pelvic fracture life threatening?

Pelvic rings often break in more than one place. A mild fracture (such as may happen from the impact of jogging) may heal in several weeks without surgery. However, a serious pelvic fracture can be life-threatening and may involve damage to the organs the pelvis protects.

How do you fix an open book fracture?

Definitive treatment of open book dislocations are highly individualized and come secondary to controlling hemorrhagic bleeding. The most common method is open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) although in some cases, external fixation can be sufficient to stabilize the pelvis.

How do you manage open book fracture?

The most common management for this type of injury is open reduction of the diastasis across the pubic symphysis and internal fixation 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 where a plate is fixed to the pubic bones, which maintains reduction while allowing the disrupted pubic symphysis and pelvic ligaments to heal.

How long does pain last after pelvic fracture?

Pelvic fractures usually start to heal about four weeks after the fracture. Some patients may notice less pain as soon as a few days after a fracture, depending on the severity of the fracture, but most patients take pain medication for four to six weeks after the injury.