If missed, compartment syndrome can be a limb- and life-threatening condition.Ĭompartment syndrome is most common in the lower leg and forearm, although it can also occur in the hand, foot, thigh, and upper arm. These compartments enclose skeletal muscles along with the neurovascular structures that pass through the compartments.

The musculoskeletal structures of the limbs are enclosed within compartments created by investing fascial layers with a limited ability to stretch. Regardless, practitioners should be aware of the patient risk factors, clinical presentation, and management of this potentially limb-threatening condition. Although regional anesthesia is often thought to delay diagnosis and treatment of acute compartment syndrome (ACS), there are only isolated case reports and a lack of evidence-based information to guide the clinical practice. It is an acute condition of the limbs in which the pressure of isolated or groups of poorly compliant muscle compartments increases dramatically and limits local soft tissue perfusion to the point of motor and sensory impairment and neuronal and tissue ischemic necrosis. Table of Contents Acute Compartment Syndrome of the Limb: Implications for Regional Anesthesia INTRODUCTIONĬompartment syndrome is an orthopedic emergency.

Thigh compartments