Outcome of External Fixation in the Management of Unstable Pelvic Fractures at Nigerian Army Hospital, Yaba, Lagos

Unstable pelvic fractures are among the most haemodynamically challenging injuries in orthopaedic trauma surgery, requiring rapid temporising intervention to control bleeding and stabilise the pelvis. External fixation serves as an effective bridge to definitive management in damage control orthopaedics. This retrospective descriptive study reviews the outcomes of external fixation in the management of unstable pelvic fractures at the Nigerian Army Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, South West Nigeria, over a four-year period. Case records will be reviewed for mechanism of injury, pelvic fracture type (Tile and Young-Burgess classification), haemodynamic status at presentation, timing of external fixator application, blood transfusion requirements, intra-operative complications, length of hospitalisation, radiological outcome, and final functional outcome. Descriptive statistics will characterise the patient series. The study hypothesises that early application (within 24 hours) is associated with significantly reduced transfusion requirements and shorter hospital stays. Findings will inform pelvic trauma management guidelines at the Nigerian Army Hospital and contribute to the limited published literature on pelvic fracture management outcomes in West African tertiary hospitals. This research supports the development of a structured pelvic trauma protocol adapted to the resource environment of the Nigerian military healthcare system and comparable tertiary facilities. Keywords: pelvic fractures, external fixation, damage control orthopaedics, Tile classification, Lagos.