Pelvic circumferential compression in the presence of soft-tissue injuries: a case report.

Unstable pelvic ring disruptions are frequently associated with hemodynamic instability. Although the source of hemorrhage can be from multiple sites, the severity and type of pelvic disruption strongly correlates with retroperitoneal blood loss. Pelvic stabilization in the early posttraumatic phase is reported to provide an effective means of controlling this retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Pelvic circumferential compression with a bed sheet has been recommended for emergent stabilization of unstable pelvic fractures in hemodynamically unstable patients. More recently, pelvic circumferential compression devices (PCCDs) have become commercially available for time-saving, provisional stabilization. This report describes a complication associated with the use of a PCCD for a patient with an unstable pelvic ring injury and associated Morel-Lavallee lesion.