Acute Compartment Syndrome--a Life and Limb Threatening Surgical Emergency (Open LEARNING Zone) (Clinical Report‪)‬

Compartment syndrome has been defined as 'a condition where the circulation and function of tissues within a closed space are compromised by an increase of pressure within that space' (Matsen 1975). The closed space could be an osteo-fascial compartment of a limb that contains muscles and neurovascular structures and is lined with tough fibrous tissue called fascia, or it could be the abdominal cavity. Richard von Volkmann first described compartment syndrome in 1881 leading to the eponymous naming of the forearm contracture. In 1926, Jepson described the management of the syndrome through fascial decompression. Further work was done by Bywaters et al in 1941 on patients having suffered crush injuries during the London Blitz.