Regional anesthesia and acute compartment syndrome: principles for practice. Issue 12 (29th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dwyer, Tim; Burns, David; Nauth, Aaron; Kawam, Kaitlin; Brull, Richard
• Is Part Of: Regional anesthesia and pain medicine. Volume 46:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 1091
• Page End: 1099
• Publication Date: 2021-06-29
• Subjects: anesthesia -- conduction -- nerve block -- regional anesthesia; Conduction anesthesia -- Periodicals; Pain medicine -- Periodicals; 617.964
• DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2021-102735
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1098-7339

Abstract

Abstract : Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a potentially reversible orthopedic surgical emergency leading to tissue ischemia and ultimately cell death. Diagnosis of ACS can be challenging, as neither clinical symptoms nor signs are sufficiently sensitive. The cardinal symptom associated with ACS is pain reported in excess of what would otherwise be expected for the underlying injury, and not reasonably managed by opioid-based analgesia. Regional anesthesia (RA) techniques are traditionally discouraged in clinical settings where the development of ACS is a concern as sensory and motor nerve blockade may mask symptoms and signs of ACS. This Education article addresses the most common trauma and elective orthopedic surgical procedures in adults with a view towards assessing their respective risk of ACS and offering suggestions regarding the suitability of RA for each type of surgery.