Musculoskeletal Emergencies
A 28-year-old man is brought to the emergency department 4 hours after a motorcycle accident. He has a displaced tibial shaft fracture that has been splinted. Despite adequate analgesia, he reports severe calf pain that is worsening. He has pain with passive toe extension, his calf is tense, and he reports paresthesias in the first web space. Pedal pulses are palpable. Regarding acute compartment syndrome:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) occurs when pressure within a closed osteofascial compartment rises...
The classic 6 Ps (pain, pressure, paralysis, paresthesia, pulselessness, pallor) are late and unreli...
Compartment syndrome only occurs with open fractures; absent pulses are the first sign; diagnosis re...
Compartment pressure measurement can aid diagnosis; absolute pressure greater than 30 mmHg or delta ...
Treatment is urgent fasciotomy within 6 hours of symptom onset; the leg has 4 compartments (anterior...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option