Temporary fixation of limbs and pelvis

“Urgent, complete, definitive” treatment still today seems to be an appropriate attitude in many trauma cases. There are, however, several situations in which emergency definitive fixation is not the optimal strategy for all cases of fracture. Temporary fixation has a role to play in the orthopedic “trauma damage control” design comprising successive steps, as applied in multiple trauma, multiple fracture, severe multi-tissue limb lesions and soft-tissue lesions of unpredictable progression. The aim of this study is to define the strategies, indications, principles and limitations of temporary fixation in limb and pelvis fracture.