Common causes of acute compartment syndrome are fractures, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, haemorrhage, intravenous/intra-arterial drug injection, prolonged limb compression, crush injury, burns, and septic conditions such as meningococcal sepsis.Ĭompartment pressures can be measured by several techniques. Fasciotomy should be performed to prevent such complications. Myo-necrosis can cause rhabdomyolysis and myo-globinaemia, leading to organ damage and possible limb amputation. The findings of this study that the normal compartment pressure of the lower leg in healthy children is significantly higher than that in adults may be of considerable significance in clinical decision-making in children of this age.Ĭompartment pressure can reach a critical level and jeopardise perfusion of limbs.
The mean arterial pressure did not relate to age or to pressure in the compartment. The latter is in accordance with those recorded in the literature. On average, pressures in the four compartments varied between 13.3 mmHg and 16.6 mmHg in the children and between 5.2 mmHg and 9.7 mmHg in the adults.
The mean compartment pressure in the lower leg in children was significantly higher than in adults (p < 0.001). Measurements were repeated in a control group of 20 healthy adults. We included patients aged between two months and six years, and measured the pressures in 80 compartments of 20 healthy children using simple needle manometry. We compared the pressures in the four lower leg compartments of healthy children with those of healthy adults. Compartment pressures have not previously been studied in healthy children.
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