The emergency stabilization of unstable pelvic injuries, in particular
, injuries to the posterior pelvic ring, can be achieved following red
uction by application of the pelvic C-clamp. This and other procedures
contribute to controlling what is almost always a life-threatening bl
ood loss. The pelvic C-clamp is a temporary measure preceding definiti
ve treatment of the injury. If this procedure is to have an optimal an
d lasting effect, the clamp must be applied correctly, provide adequat
e compression and stability, and be easy to handle. In one year, we ap
plied the AO and ACE pelvic clamps in 9 clinical cases. Satisfactory p
rimary compression and stability were achieved for unstable injuries w
ith both clamps. It was more difficult to achieve good rotational stab
ility as required for subsequent treatment with the ACE clamp due to i
ts construction design.