A Case Report of Acute Compartment Syndrome.

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a surgical emergency which requires prompt identification and intervention to prevent irreversible tissue damage. Here we present the case of a 64-year-old male with lower extremity tenderness following a crush injury. This patient presented to the emergency department (ED) more than 12 hours after the initial incident occurred and was found to have a firm right calf with decreased sensation and absent distal pulses on his right leg. The patient's outer compartment pressure measured 32 mmHg. Because these findings were concerning for acute compartment syndrome, emergent fasciotomies of the four compartments of the lower right leg were performed with improvement in neuromuscular compromise. Early identification of the condition permitted a prompt recovery for the patient who was discharged home on day five. This case report reviews the clinical presentation and interventional modalities and aims to provide new images to help visualize a diagnosis of ACS.

Topics: Acute compartment syndrome, fasciotomy, intramuscular pressure.