title: Pelvic trauma: What are the predictors of mortality and cardiac, venous thrombo-embolic and infectious complications following injury?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study sought to determine risk factors that influence mortality, cardiac events, venous thrombo-embolic disease (VTED), and infection following fractures of the pelvis and/or acetabulum.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 2008 National Sample Program (NSP) of the National Trauma Databank was queried to identify all patients who sustained pelvic and acetabular fractures. Demographic data, injury-specific and surgical characteristics, and medical co-morbidities were abstracted. The occurrence of in-hospital mortality, cardiac events, VTED and infections were documented. Univariate testing, weighted logistic regression, and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify significant independent predictors of mortality and the complications under study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NSP contained 41,297 cases of pelvic trauma. In-hospital mortality was documented in 3055 (7%) and one or more complications occurred in 6932 (17%). Cardiac events transpired in 2% of patients, VTED in 4% and infections in 3%. Increasing age, shock, time to procedure, ISS, and GCS were predictive of mortality. Cardiac events were found to be influenced by obesity, diabetes, ISS, GCS, age, and trauma mechanism. VTED was impacted by obesity, history of respiratory disease, male sex, ISS, GCS, medical co-morbidities, and time to procedure. Injuries caused by mechanisms other than blunt trauma, shock, age, ISS, GCS, medical co-morbidities, and time to procedure were associated with infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several important predictors were identified for specific complications and mortality following pelvic trauma. The design of this study may render it more generalisable to American patients with pelvic injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  II - Prognostic retrospective study of a prospective dataset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, United States.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Arroyo
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Belmont
authors.forename: Julia O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
mesh_terms: D000077:Acetabulum / Q000293:injuries*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012774:Shock, Traumatic / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acetabular fracture; Complications; Mortality; Pelvic fracture; Risk factors