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Compartment syndrome is a limb-threatening surgical emergency that typically occurs unilaterally in the lower leg after trauma. It often occurs within hours of injury but can occur up to 48 hours or even several days later. We report the case of a male patient in his late 70s presenting with subacute, atraumatic, bilateral forearm compartment syndrome. The patient had commenced treatment for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia and had in addition recently started a course of rivaroxaban for suspected deep venous thrombosis 3 weeks prior. The patient presented with bilateral upper limb swelling, skin discolouration, progressive pain and dysfunction. Emergency bilateral multicompartmental forearm fasciotomy was performed for limb preservation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) of the foot is one of the most severe injuries of the foot and typically results from a fracture, crush or vascular injury. ACS, isolated to a single foot compartment, is a rare complication following a simple twisting injury of the ankle. In this article, the authors present the case report of a 25-year-old man who developed ACS, isolated to the lateral compartment of the foot, secondary to rupture of the lateral ligament complex and subsequent haematoma formation. An emergency fasciotomy was performed and the patient had complete resolution of his symptoms. ACS is usually associated with significant trauma, however, there are reported cases in the literature associated with a minor injury. In this case report, the authors describe how ACS developed following a simple ankle sprain playing sports in the absence of a high-energy insult or fracture., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

We present the rare case of a non-painful compartment syndrome of the forearm in a 35-year old man with a history of intravenous drug abuse, and lessons learned which would have enabled earlier consideration of this limb threatening condition and earlier therapeutic intervention.On initial assessment in the emergency department, the patient was drowsy, tachycardic and pyrexic. There was no obvious pain outwith expectation, and his forearm was erythematous and swollen. Due to the constellation of symptoms and signs, he was presumed to be septic from a forearm cellulitis and was thus treated for sepsis with intravenous antibiotics under the care of the medical team. As his arm swelling continued, he was then thought to possibly have a vascular issue and was given a therapeutic dose of low molecular weight heparin. He was otherwise pain free throughout and had no evidence of neurological compromise. A subsequent orthopaedic review raised the concern of compartment syndrome, and this, alongside a clinically evolving picture, resulted in a diagnosis of developing compartment syndrome being made. The patient underwent subsequent surgical management with dual incision fasciotomies and definitive wound management with split skin graft under the care of plastic surgery.This is a rare presentation of a masked developing compartment syndrome. This case highlights the importance of considering atypical presentations of compartment syndrome in high risk patients, and the importance of early specialist orthopaedic referral, particularly in those who do not present with typical features in their history and examination. We summarise the lessons learned in this case which would have enabled earlier identification of this limb-threatening diagnosis and could have improved further definitive outcome., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

A 39-year-old woman with a history of chronic back pain due to spinal haemangiomas, multiple malignancies and depression was brought by Emergency medical servicesS to the emergency centre (EC) after being found unresponsive on the bathroom floor. The patient had an exacerbation of her back pain the previous day for which she admitted to taking double her usual dose of oxycodone, in addition to alprazolam, lorazepam, diphenhydramine and a glass of wine. She reported that she lost consciousness and was down for over 8 hours. In the EC, she complained of right forearm pain which was accompanied by mild diffuse soft-tissue swelling and decreased sensation in the right hand. Radial pulse was intact. Creatine kinase was found to be at 4663 U/L. The patient was found to have acute compartment syndrome and underwent emergent forearm fasciotomy. She eventually regained full function of the right arm., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

A 50-year-old male UK resident with a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia presented to the emergency department with a 48-hour history of sudden onset bilateral thigh swelling and pain unrelieved by regular analgesia. 3 days prior to presentation, he performed a vigorous workout in the gym. His medications included ramipril 5 mg once daily and atorvastatin 20 mg at night time. He was a non-smoker and did not consume alcohol. He reported no known drug allergies. Physical examination confirmed bilateral swollen thighs, with no overlying skin changes, clinically suggestive of compartment syndrome. His creatine kinase was >50 000 IU with normal renal and liver function tests. Further investigation with MRI-identified prominent swelling of the vastus intermedius and medialis muscles, more marked on the left, with extensive diffuse short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal hyperintensity and isointensity on T1 sequences, suggestive of rhabdomyolysis. He underwent bilateral fasciotomies of his thighs and aggressive intravenous fluid resuscitation with close monitoring of his electrolytes. Intraoperatively his muscle was healthy, with no evidence of haematoma or necrosis. His medication atorvastatin was stopped due to his rhabdomyolysis. 48 hours later, he returned to theatre and review of his fasciotomy wounds was unremarkable. 4 days later, he was discharged uneventfully. His postoperative recovery was complicated by a serous discharge from his left medial thigh wound. Further investigation with an ultrasound confirmed a 4×1×1cm multiloculated collection within the superficial tissue directly underlying the wound. An aspirate was performed and cultures revealed no growth. He remains under review in the department of plastic surgery. This case report discusses the aetiological spectrum, clinical presentation, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, investigations, management and complications of rhabdomyolysis., (2017 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

The term 'serotonin syndrome' describes a constellation of symptoms caused by serotonergic overstimulation. Its characteristic clinical presentation consists of encephalopathy, neuromuscular signs and autonomic hyperactivity. After removal of the offending agent, the clinical course is usually self-limited but can occasionally lead to severe symptoms. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman who presented emergently with encephalopathy. Home medications included paroxetine and dextroamphetamine/amphetamine. Physical examination revealed tachycardia, tachypnoea, diaphoresis, rigidity, hyperreflexia and clonus. Given the fast onset of symptoms, a diagnosis of serotonin syndrome was made. Laboratory studies showed acute-on-chronic kidney injury and elevated creatine kinase. The patient's mental status quickly returned to baseline with supportive care. Her rhabdomyolysis, however, persisted and led to acute compartment syndrome in her lower extremities. After bilateral leg fasciotomies and treatment of a severe wound infection with intravenous antibiotics, the patient has now recovered with complete resolution of her symptoms., (2017 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

We discuss a case of a 26-year-old man, a motorcycle racer, who presented with progressive pain, weakness and swelling of his right forearm and loss of power in his index finger, experienced during motor racing. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of both flexor and extensor compartments of his forearm was diagnosed by dynamic intracompartmental muscle pressure measurements. After fasciotomies, all symptoms were resolved and the patient was able to improve on his preinjury racing skills, without any limitations. A literature review and a surgical 'how-to' for correct release of the extensor and deep flexor compartments of the forearm are provided., (2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) repair has recently been gaining popularity and is the first choice in most departments. Loss of space in an undeveloped abdomen may cause serious problems such as difficult visceral reduction and need for conversion or postoperative complications such as abdominal compartment syndrome. A 4-month-old boy with delayed diagnosis of CDH underwent MIS repair via thoracoscopy, but the abdominal space was not large enough to accept the herniated viscera so a wide transverse fasciotomy was performed via laparoscopy and an iatrogenic ventral hernia induced. The abdomen was distended by pneumoperitoneum, which was retained for 2 days. Finally thoracoscopic CDH repair was completed successfully and the diaphragmatic defect reconstructed by prosthetic patch. Laparoscopic transverse abdominal fasciotomy is suggested as the first step in MIS repair of CDH in an undeveloped abdomen., (2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)