The Midwest Surgical AssociationAnatomic location of penetrating lower-extremity trauma predicts compartment syndrome development
Section snippets
Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients admitted for a minimum of 23 hours to the University of South Alabama trauma center for penetrating lower-extremity trauma during the 8-year period from July 1998 through June 2006. Patients were gleaned from the University of South Alabama's Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons. Individual medical records then were reviewed for data extraction. The Investigational Review Board of the University of South Alabama approved
Results
A total of 321 patients sustained a total of 393 lower-extremity injuries during the study period. A total of 255 (65%) were AK penetrating injuries and 138 (35%) were BK penetrating injuries. The average age of patients entered in the study was 30.8 years (range, 14–78 y). A total of 298 (93%) patients were male and 23 (7%) were female. A total of 330 (84%) injuries were secondary to gunshot wounds, 32 (10%) were secondary to stab wounds, and 24 (6%) were the result of shotgun injuries.
Comments
Development of compartment syndrome after penetrating injuries to the lower extremity is a rare occurrence, however, when it does occur and is diagnosed in an untimely fashion, devastating physical disability including loss of limb can occur. Compartment syndrome results from a compromise in capillary perfusion of tissues within the confined space of a fascial compartment. This typically results from increased venous pressure within the compartment. A vicious cycle develops that leads to muscle
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