Is the acute compartment syndrome diagnosed in snake bites true?: A review.

Envenomation caused by venomous snakes can induce clinical symptoms and signs resembling those of traumatic acute compartment syndrome (ACS), but it is uncertain whether its treatment guidelines are applicable or beneficial for ACS that is associated to snakebites. Nonetheless, recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of trauma-induced ACS, particularly following fractures of the tibial diaphysis, are extrapolated to the diagnosis and treatment of snakebites despite evidence that the ensuing injuries are frequently not true ACS. Most biologists agree that the venom of snakes, especially those of the Crotalinae family (vipers) evolved to immobilize, kill, and initiate the digestion of their prey. The human local effects of viper envenoming are the result of digestion like those described in biological processes as acute pancreatitis, including secondary inflammatory and induction of reparative effects. The first-line treatment should focus on mitigation of venom-induced tissue digestion rather than surgery solution for "ACS-like" symptoms and signs. This type of analysis leads to questioning that treatment of ACS associated with snakebite cannot be extrapolated from recommendations formulated for trauma-induced ACS. The cornerstone of snake envenoming treatment is antivenom, and some clinical and experimental experiences start to show that surgical procedures frequently employed for trauma-induced ACS, such as debridement and fasciotomy, may be exaggerated and even deleterious in most viper bite envenoming.

[Emergency expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome in adults in China (2024)].

Patients with emergent conditions are prone to develop intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), which are closely associated with adverse outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of guiding documents for the management of IAH/ACS in the emergency departments in China. Based on a systematic review of recent researches and clinical experiences in emergency departments, the Emergency Medicine Branch if Chinese Medical Association and other professional organizations have jointly formulated the Emergency expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome in adults in China (2024) to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities of emergency physicians regarding adult IAH/ACS. The consensus particularly emphasizes the importance of early identification, continuous monitoring, and timely treatment of IAH/ACS in the emergency settings. The consensus recommends routine intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement for emergency patients with risk factors for IAH/ACS and suggests adjusting the monitoring frequency based on IAP levels. In terms of treatment, the consensus highlights a comprehensive approach that includes both non-surgical and surgical interventions, with additional recommendations for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments. The consensus also stresses the importance of fluid resuscitation, organ support, and preventive measures, proposing nutritional therapy and preventive strategies. The consensus provides more precise and practical guidance for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of emergency patients with IAH/ACS, which is conducive to improving clinical outcomes.

Lumbar Paraspinal Compartment Syndrome in an Active-Duty Army Special Operations Aviation Soldier.

Lumbar paraspinal muscle compartment syndrome is an uncommon, rapidly progressive, and potentially devastating injury with fewer than 40 cases reported in the literature. It initially mimics nonemergent causes of low back pain, disproportionately affects young men, and is most often secondary to acute physical exertion. The disease process is commonly associated with rhabdomyolysis. Diagnostic tools include physical examination, measurement of lactate and creatine kinase levels, MRI, and direct compartment pressure measurement. While medical and nonoperative management strategies have been explored, the gold standard for treatment is emergent lumbar fasciotomy. Opioid and non-steroidal pain management, as well as physical therapy, are the mainstays of post-treatment recovery, with many surgical patients reporting complete symptom resolution at long-term follow-up. This article discusses the case of a 27-year-old, male, active-duty, Special Operations Aviation Soldier who presented to the emergency department and was found to have lumbar paraspinal muscle compartment syndrome.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-Associated Compartment Syndrome: Review of a National Database.

INTRODUCTION: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-associated compartment syndrome (CS) is a rare complication seen in critically ill patients. The epidemiology and management of ECMO-associated CS in the upper extremity (UE) and lower extremity (LE) are poorly defined in the literature. We sought to determine the epidemiology and characterize treatment and outcomes of UE-CS compared to LE-CS in the setting of ECMO therapy. METHODS: Adult patients undergoing ECMO therapy were identified in the Nationwide Readmission Database (2015-2019) and followed up for 6 months. Patients were stratified based on UE-CS versus LE-CS. Primary outcomes were fasciotomy and amputation. All-cause mortality and length of stay were also collected. Risk-adjusted modeling was performed to determine patient- and hospital-level factors associated with differences in the management UE-CS versus LE-CS while controlling for confounders. RESULTS: A total of 24,047 cases of ECMO during hospitalization were identified of which 598 were complicated by CS. Of this population, 507 cases were in the LE (84.8%), while 91 (15.5%) were in the UE. After multivariate analysis, UE-CS patients were less likely to undergo fasciotomy (50.5 vs. 70.9; P = 0.013) and were less likely to undergo amputation of the extremity (3.3 vs. 23.7; P = 0.001) although there was no difference in mortality (58.4 vs. 65.4; P = 0.330). CONCLUSIONS: ECMO patients with CS experience high mortality and morbidity. UE-CS has lower rates of fasciotomy and amputations, compared to LE-CS, with similar mortality. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reasons for these differences.

Acute Compartment Syndrome and Rhabdomyolysis Caused by a Single Electrical Muscle Stimulation in a 46-Year-Old Female Professional Athlete With Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Disorder: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT: Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training has been recognized as an effective modality for improving body composition, enhancing body strength, and facilitating injury recovery. However, individuals who are new to EMS training and those with certain chronic diseases should exercise caution due to the increased risk of rhabdomyolysis. This case report describes the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis and gluteal compartment syndrome following a single session of EMS training in a 46-year-old Caucasian female professional athlete. The patient was successfully managed with intensive intravenous fluid therapy and sodium bicarbonate supplementation, along with close monitoring of electrolytes and renal function. Electrical muscle stimulation training poses an increased risk of severe complications in individuals with chronic diseases and myopathy. Therefore, careful subject selection is required for EMS training in individuals with chronic diseases and myopathy to prevent common side effects. For individuals trying EMS training for the first time, it is recommended to avoid high-frequency EMS exercises.

The Pressure Is Rising: Evaluation and Treatment of Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is a condition that typically affects athletic/active individuals. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome predominantly affects the lower leg; however, there are cases involving the hand, forearm, foot, and thigh. The signs and symptoms of chronic exertional compartment syndrome are severe pain, tightness, cramping, muscle weakness, and paresthesias during participation in exercise. Dynamic intramuscular compartmental pressure (preexertion and postexertion) is the standard diagnostic test. Although other imaging modalities, such as radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging are typically incorporated to rule out other pathologies. In addition, these modalities are being utilized to limit invasiveness of the diagnostic experience. Initial care commonly involves conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, modifications of patient's exercise technique, foot orthoses, and various procedures over a period of 3 to 6 months. Recalcitrant cases may be referred for surgical intervention (fasciotomy), which has inconclusive head-to-head data with conservative management with regard to return to prior sport and specific activity level.

Crush injury and syndrome: A review for emergency clinicians.

INTRODUCTION: Primary disasters may result in mass casualty events with serious injuries, including crush injury and crush syndrome. OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides a focused overview of crush injury and crush syndrome for emergency clinicians. DISCUSSION: Millions of people worldwide annually face natural or human-made disasters, which may lead to mass casualty events and severe medical issues including crush injury and syndrome. Crush injury is due to direct physical trauma and compression of the human body, most commonly involving the lower extremities. It may result in asphyxia, severe orthopedic injury, compartment syndrome, hypotension, and organ injury (including acute kidney injury). Crush syndrome is the systemic manifestation of severe, traumatic muscle injury. Emergency clinicians are at the forefront of the evaluation and treatment of these patients. Care at the incident scene is essential and focuses on treating life-threatening injuries, extrication, triage, fluid resuscitation, and transport. Care at the healthcare facility includes initial stabilization and trauma evaluation as well as treatment of any complication (e.g., compartment syndrome, hyperkalemia, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury). CONCLUSIONS: Crush injury and crush syndrome are common in natural and human-made disasters. Emergency clinicians must understand the pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of these conditions to optimize patient care.

Comparison and convergence of compartment syndrome techniques: a narrative review.

INTRODUCTION: Compartment syndrome (CS) continues to be a legitimate orthopedic emergency as it leads to thousands of amputations and permanent nerve and tissue damage to undiagnosed patients for more than eight hours. In CS, intracompartmental pressure is elevated, causing reduced blood flow inside the limb compartments. An erroneous diagnosis may result in unnecessary fasciotomies, the only treatment for this condition. AREAS COVERED: This review examines the previous and current diagnostic and therapeutic practices for compartment syndrome. It also performs a comparative analysis of each diagnostic technique and its foresights. EXPERT OPINION: Currently, most clinicians rely on a physical examination of the patient to diagnose CS. The primary reason for the physical examination is the lack of a gold-standard device. The invasive intracompartmental pressure (ICP) measurement technique is still the most commonly used. On the other hand, many noninvasive approaches have the potential to be used as diagnostic tools; however, more research is needed before they can be accepted as standard clinical approaches.

Awareness and diagnosis for intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in neonatal (NICU) and pediatric intensive care units (PICU) - a follow-up multicenter survey.

BACKGROUND: Constantly elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAH) can lead to abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), which is associated with organ dysfunction and even multiorgan failure. Our 2010 survey revealed an inconsistent acceptance of definitions and guidelines among pediatric intensivists regarding the diagnosis and treatment of IAH and ACS in Germany. This is the first survey to assess the impact of the updated guidelines on neonatal/pediatric intensive care units (NICU/PICU) in German-speaking countries after WSACS published those in 2013. METHODS: We conducted a follow-up survey and sent 473 questionnaires to all 328 German-speaking pediatric hospitals. We compared our findings regarding awareness, diagnostics and therapy of IAH and ACS with the results of our 2010 survey. RESULTS: The response rate was 48% (n = 156). The majority of respondents was from Germany (86%) and working in PICUs with mostly neonatal patients (53%). The number of participants who stated that IAH and ACS play a role in their clinical practice rose from 44% in 2010 to 56% in 2016. Similar to the 2010 investigations, only a few neonatal/pediatric intensivists knew the correct WSACS definition of an IAH (4% vs 6%). Different from the previous study, the number of participants who correctly defined an ACS increased from 18 to 58% (p < 0,001). The number of respondents measuring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) increased from 20 to 43% (p < 0,001). Decompressive laparotomies (DLs) were performed more frequently than in 2010 (36% vs. 19%, p < 0,001), and the reported survival rate was higher when a DL was used (85% ± 17% vs. 40 ± 34%). CONCLUSIONS: Our follow-up survey of neonatal/pediatric intensivists showed an improvement in the awareness and knowledge of valid definitions of ACS. Moreover, there has been an increase in the number of physicians measuring IAP in patients. However, a significant number has still never diagnosed IAH/ACS, and more than half of the respondents have never measured IAP. This reinforces the suspicion that IAH and ACS are only slowly coming into the focus of neonatal/pediatric intensivists in German-speaking pediatric hospitals. The goal should be to raise awareness of IAH and ACS through education and training and to establish diagnostic algorithms, especially for pediatric patients. The increased survival rate after conducting a prompt DL consolidates the impression that the probability of survival can be increased by timely surgical decompression in the case of full-blown ACS.

[Research progress on the relationship between treatment and prognosis of intraperitoneal compartment syndrome in the pediatric intensive care unit].

Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in children is a neglected complication in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) because the onset is insidious. ACS develops rapidly, involves the systemic organs, has a high mortality, and is a very serious complication in PICU. Timely and effective treatment of children with suspected or confirmed ACS is of significance to prevent the progression of the disease, improve prognosis and reduce mortality. However, most clinicians have limited understanding of the treatment measures for children with ACS and are unable to correctly choose appropriate treatment strategies, which affect the prognosis of children. To make the optimal treatment plan for ACS in children, the extent of elevated intra-abdominal pressure, the degree of organ dysfunction and the underlying diseases should be considered comprehensively. Mechanical ventilation, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have a bidirectional effect on the occurrence and therapeutic effect of ACS. On the one hand, this article reviews the individualized treatment of ACS in PICU, so that more pediatricians could have a comprehensive and clear systematic understanding of the treatment plan of ACS in children. On the other hand, special treatment strategies and prognoses of ACS in PICU were also reviewed in this article, and the effects of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) on mechanical ventilation parameters, ECMO, and CRRT were illuminated. As well as the management strategy of mechanical ventilation, CRRT type in ACS children, and the treatment of ACS during ECMO were revealed.

Awareness and management of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome by paediatric intensive care physicians: a national survey.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the current awareness and management of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) among paediatric intensivists. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A web-based electronic survey was sent to all physicians working in paedia-tric intensive care units (PICUs) in Saudi Arabia. The survey questions obtained information regarding awareness of ACS and IAH, recognition criteria, monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), and experience in managing ACS. RESULTS: A total of 79 physicians responded to the survey (response rate: 53%). Among respondents 48% were consultants. 85% of respondents were familiar with IAP/IAH/ACS. Only 35% and 10% were aware of the Abdominal Compartment Society consensus definitions for IAH and ACS in the paediatric population, respectively. Most respondents considered the cut-off for IAH to be ≥ 15 mm Hg, and approximately two-thirds thought that the cut-off for ACS was higher than the currently suggested consensus definition (10 mm Hg). More than two-thirds of respondents monitored IAP in the PICU, and it was measured almost exclusively via the bladder (96%); the majority (70%) reported that they instilled volumes well above the current recommendations. Medical management was the most frequent therapeutic approach to treat IAH/ACS, while surgical decompression was the least attempted option. Decisions to decompress the abdomen were predominantly based on the presence of organ dysfunction (74.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This survey showed that although most responding physicians claim to be familiar with IAH and ACS, their knowledge of published consensus definitions, measurement techniques, and clinical management must be updated.

Embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate skeletal muscle injury induced by acute compartment syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Acute compartment syndrome (ACS), a well-known complication of musculoskeletal injury, results in muscle necrosis and cell death. Embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ESC-MSCs) have been shown to be a promising therapy for ACS. However, their effectiveness and potentially protective mechanism remain unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy and underlying mechanism of ESC-MSCs in ACS-induced skeletal muscle injury. METHOD: A total of 168 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats underwent 2 h of intracompartmental pressure elevation by saline infusion into the anterior compartment of the left hindlimb to establish the ACS model. ESC-MSCs were differentiated from the human embryonic stem cell (ESC) line H9. A dose of 1.2 × 106 of ESC-MSCs was intravenously injected during fasciotomy. Post-ACS assessments included skeletal edema index, serum indicators, histological analysis, apoptosis, fibrosis, regeneration, and functional recovery of skeletal muscle. Then, fluorescence microscopy was used to observe the distribution of labeled ESC-MSCs in vivo, and western blotting and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to examine macrophages infiltration in skeletal muscle. Finally, we used liposomal clodronate to deplete macrophages and reassess skeletal muscle injury in response to ESC-MSC therapy. RESULT: ESC-MSCs significantly reduced systemic inflammatory responses, ACS-induced skeletal muscle edema, and cell apoptosis. In addition, ESC-MSCs inhibited skeletal muscle fibrosis and increased regeneration and functional recovery of skeletal muscle after ACS. The beneficial effects of ESC-MSCs on ACS-induced skeletal muscle injury were accompanied by a decrease in CD86-positive M1 macrophage polarization and an increase in CD206-positive M2 macrophage polarization. After depleting macrophages with liposomal clodronate, the beneficial effects of ESC-MSCs were attenuated. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells infusion could effectively alleviate ACS-induced skeletal muscle injury, in which the beneficial effects were related to the regulation of macrophages polarization.

Management of Severe Crush Injuries in Austere Environments: A Special Operations Perspective.

Crush injuries present a challenging case for medical providers and require knowledge and skill to manage the subsequent damage to multiple organ systems. In an austere environment, in which resources are limited and evacuation time is extensive, a medic must be prepared to identify trends and predict outcomes based on the mechanism of injury and patient presentation. These injuries occur in a variety of environments from motor vehicle accidents (at home or abroad) to natural disasters and building collapses. Crush injury can lead to compartment syndrome, traumatic rhabdomyolysis, arrythmias, and metabolic acidosis, especially for patients with extended treatment and extrication times. While crush syndrome occurs due to the systemic effects of the injury, the onset can be as early as 1 hour postinjury. With a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and tactical considerations, a prehospital provider can optimize patient outcomes and be prepared with the tools they have on hand for the progression of crush injury into crush syndrome.

The role of hyperbaric oxygen for acute traumatic ischemias.

Acute traumatic ischemias are an array of disorders that range from crush injuries to compartment syndromes, from burns to frostbite and from threatened flaps to compromised reimplantations. Two unifying components common to these conditions are a history of trauma be it physical, thermal, or surgical coupled with ischemia to the traumatized tissues. Their pathophysiology resolves around the self-perpetuating cycle of edema and ischemia, and their severity represents a spectrum from mild, almost non-existent, to tissue death. Since ischemia is a fundamental component of the traumatic ischemias and hypoxia is a consequence of ischemia, hyperbaric oxygen is a logical intervention for those conditions where tissue survival, infection control and healing is at risk. Unfortunately, even with mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen that strongly support its usefulness in traumatic ischemias coupled with supportive clinical data, clinicians are disinclined to utilize it for these conditions. This focuses on the orthopedic aspects of the traumatic ischemias, namely crush injury and compartment syndrome, and show how hyperbaric oxygen treatments can mitigate their severity.

Compartment Syndrome After Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Early diagnosis and prompt definitive management of acute compartment syndrome (ACS) are paramount in preventing the significant morbidity associated with compartment syndrome. The diagnosis of compartment syndrome can be difficult, given the pain associated with the procedure in the immediate postoperative period. Obesity, anticoagulation, postoperative epidural infusion, and prolonged operative time have been reported as risk factors for ACS. In addition to maintaining high clinical suspicion in patient with risk factors for ACS after joint replacement, emphasis on limiting modifiable risk factors should be practiced, including meticulous hemostasis, careful patient positioning, and limiting prolonged postoperative regional anesthesia when not required.