title: Treatment of pelvic fractures - a national survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This survey was conducted during the 38(th) Brazilian Congress of Orthopaedics and Traumatology to identify the opinion of Brazilian orthopaedic surgeons on the standard treatment of pelvic fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomly selected and invited to voluntarily answer a questionnaire of 10 multiple choice questions addressing the main aspects of the treatment of pelvic fractures: classification, fixation methods in unstable patients, optimal surgical timing in stable patients, and fixation methods in different types of anterior and posterior pelvic injuries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three hundred and fifty-two questionnaires were completed, and the following main observations were made: most orthopaedists prefer to use an external fixator in the iliac crest for the emergency stabilisation of pelvic injuries in haemodynamically unstable patients (79.5%); they consider a period of up to one week as optimal for fixation in stable patients (55.1%); they use a plate for the fixation of fractures of the iliopubic rami through a Pfannenstiel or ilio-inguinal approach (53.9%); and they use reconstruction plates for the fixation of fractures of the iliac wing (63.1%). Regarding other studied aspects, there was no predominance of more than 50% of the choices among respondents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: danbal61@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balbachevsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Belloti
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Gonçalves
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Doca
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jannarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Alberto Yazigi
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Junior
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hélio Jorge Alvachian
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Baldy
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Dos Reis
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Fracture Fixation; Fractures; Pelvis; Questionnaires