Compartment Syndrome
A 24-year-old man is brought to the emergency department 6 hours after a motorcycle accident. He has a displaced both-bone forearm fracture that was splinted at the scene. He now complains of severe pain that is not relieved by the current analgesia. On examination, his forearm is tense and swollen, and he experiences severe pain with passive extension of his fingers. Regarding forearm compartment syndrome:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
The forearm contains three main compartments: the volar (flexor) compartment, the dorsal (extensor) ...
Classic clinical features of compartment syndrome include the "5 Ps": Pain (especially pain with pas...
Compartment syndrome can be reliably excluded if distal pulses are present; pressure monitoring is n...
Absolute compartment pressure greater than 30 mmHg or delta pressure (diastolic BP minus compartment...
Untreated forearm compartment syndrome leads to Volkmann ischemic contracture, characterized by flex...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option