The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Jun 2008
Comparative StudyClinical examination is superior to plain films to diagnose pelvic fractures compared to CT.
We prospectively compared clinical examination (CE) with plain films (PXR) and both tools with CT in patients sustaining blunt trauma. There were 1388 patients who had both PXR and CT of whom 168 (12.1%) were diagnosed with a fracture by CT. CE findings most predictive of fracture included age (OR, 1.025; CI, 1.011-1.039), hip pain (OR, 4.971; CI, 2.508-9.854), internal rotation of the leg (OR, 4.880; CI, 1.980-12.027), or tenderness to palpation over the sacrum (OR, 2.297; CI, 1.144-4.612), over the right or left hip (OR, 3.626; CI, 1.823-7.214), or diffusely throughout the pelvis (OR, 16.445; CI, 4.277-63.237). ⋯ The sensitivity for PXR compared with CT was 79.17 per cent (133 of 168) and the NPV was 97.2 per cent (1217 of 1252). CE is a reliable way to diagnose pelvic fractures and PXR is a poor screening tool for these injuries compared with CT. Because the majority of patients undergo CT after blunt trauma, routine screening radiographs should be eliminated.
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The American surgeon · Jun 2008
Comparative StudyAcetabular and isolated pelvic ring fractures: a comparison of initial assessment and outcome.
The purpose of this study was to describe the comparative outcomes of patients with pelvic ring fractures, acetabular fractures, and combinations of the same. Patients with pelvic or acetabular fractures were identified in the Hospital Trauma Registry, and all appropriate data were collected by reviewing the patients' medical records, the hospital operative logs, transfusion records, and the records of surgical morbidity conferences. Patient management was consistent over the time period of the study. ⋯ Patients with pelvic ring fractures have a worse admission base deficit, higher transfusion requirements, and increased hypotension on admission. This is reflected in their significantly higher mortality and longer hospital and intensive care unit LOS in survivors. Such clinical information is helpful when caring for patients with acetabular vs pelvic ring fractures.