Abstract
Constituting 3% of all injuries of the skeleton, pelvis fractures present features that make their approach crucial at the emergency services. The mean incidence of 23 cases in 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil, the high cost of the hospitalized patient (approximately $65,000 dollars per patient in the United States), the bimodal pattern of presentation (young men and elderly women), and the severity of the cases are factors that demonstrate the importance of this injury. In this context, injuries to the pelvic ring became very important. High morbidity and mortality rates (15–50%) are observed, and, in approximately 75% of the cases, association to multiple organ injuries.