Traumatic Pelvic Lacerations Presenting to Emergency Departments
Drs. Andrew Steele, Andrew Croak, April Tillery
Department of the Air Force
Travis Air Force Base, California

Objectives:   To describe the demographics of women presenting with traumatic pelvic lacerations to community emergency rooms.
Study Design:   Women presenting to emergency departments at three institutions from 1989 to 1999 with non-obstetric lacerations to the lower genital tract, were included.  Data from emergency room and operative records was abstracted.
Results:   Twenty-eight patients from 2-83 years (median 23 years) presented for care to three community emergency rooms in Southwest Ohio.  Chief complaints included bleeding, visible lacerations, and pain in 17, 7 and 2 patients respectively.  Only 13 (48%) were repaired, though 7 required repair in the operating room.  Sixteen patients (57%) were injured following intercourse, which was consensual in all but 2.
Conclusions:   There is wide variation in age and chief complaint in women presenting to emergency rooms for pelvic lacerations.  Consensual intercourse causes a substantial portion of pelvic lacerations.  Misconceptions about the etiology of these may have significant ramifications in the event of legal proceedings.
Key Words :  Laceration, genital, intercourse.