title: Instability of the pelvic ring and injury severity can be predictors of death in patients with pelvic ring fractures: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The correlation between fracture type and mortality in patients with pelvic fracture has been previously investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether instability of the pelvic ring as assessed by Tile's classification is a predictor of death in patients with pelvic fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical course of consecutive patients with pelvic fractures was retrospectively reviewed. Eighty-seven patients with pelvic ring fractures were included in the study. As potential predictive factors, fracture type according to Tile's classification, and generally used traumatic parameters (injury severity score, revised trauma score, and probability of survival) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mortality was significantly higher in patients with unstable fracture patterns (P < 0.05). In non-survivors, index values of traumatic parameters were more severe than those in survivors (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that patients with unstable pelvic fractures have an increased risk of death associated with exacerbated injury severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan, tachi@hyo-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirita
authors.forename: Seishiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marukawa
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshiya