Analysis of Pelvic Response to High Energy Impacts for Injury Metric Development Using a Total Human Body Finite Element Model

Abstract

Pelvic fracture is considered one of the most serious skeletal injuries due to associated complications, namely hemorrhage and organ failure. Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of pelvic fracture in civilian trauma, while blast exposure is the leading cause of pelvic fracture in military or combat-related trauma. Combat-related pelvic fractures have some of the worst clinical outcomes. Reported mortality rates for these fractures range from 50.5 to 90.1%. This is significantly higher than the mortality rates for civilian pelvic fracture which range from 3 to 20%. Individuals who survive pelvic fractures have a high rate of long-term morbidity. This includes issues with genitourinary function, gait and range of motion, sitting for long periods of time, chronic pain, and issues returning to work.