The association of acetabulum fracture and mechanism of injury with BMI, days spend in hospital, blood loss, and surgery time – a retrospective analysis of 67 patients

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the association between acetabulum fractures, mechanism of injury, and variables such as BMI, duration of hospital stay, blood loss, and surgery time. By exploring these factors, we aim to enhance our understanding of the accompanying factors of pelvic fractures and their impact on the healing process and subsequent management. Methods: This study included 136 consecutive patients who were admitted for pelvic ring fracture surgery between 2017 and 2022. The data was collected prospectively at a single trauma center. . The inclusion criteria were acetabulum fractures and indications for operative treatment. The exclusion criteria were non-operative treatment for acetabular and pelvic ring fractures, fractures requiring primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), and periprosthetic acetabular fractures. Upon admission, all patients underwent evaluation using X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans of the pelvis. Results: The present study found no statistically significant differences among the examined groups of patients with pelvic fractures in terms of BMI, surgery duration, length of hospital stay, and blood transfusion. However, two notable findings approached statistical significance. Firstly, patients who experienced a fall from height while sustaining a pelvic fracture required a higher number of blood transfusions (2.3 units) compared to other mechanisms of injury (Fig. 2D), which was close to achieving statistical significance (p=0.07). Secondly, patients undergoing posterior wall stabilization exhibited a significantly lower number of blood transfusions compared to other specific pelvic injuries (0.33 units per patient), approaching statistical significance (p=0.056). Conlusions: We firmly believe that our study has provided valuable insights into pelvic fractures and their association with the investigated factors. The findings indicate that factors such as BMI, time of surgery, blood loss, and duration of hospital stay are not directly correlated with the morphology of acetabular fractures, the presence of additional trauma, or the mechanism of injury. However, it is worth noting that many of our findings align with existing literature on the subject.