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Elevate his legs and reevaluate on morning rounds
1%
11/1088
Adjust his pain medication to accommodate for his increasing pain
6/1088
Administer a muscle relaxant for leg spasms
0%
2/1088
Cast removal and measurement of compartment pressures with a standard device
95%
1031/1088
Examine the cast for areas of constriction and reevaluate in the morning
2%
26/1088
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Intracompartmental pressure measurements should be performed when pain with passive motion of the toes is found in young patients with insufficient clinical data to establish a definitive diagnosis of compartment syndrome. The child in this clinical vignette has Blount’s disease which was treated with bilateral tibial osteotomies, a procedure commonly associated with compartment syndrome. Pain with passive stretch is the most sensitive clinical sign of elevated compartment pressures prior to the onset of ischemia in compartment syndrome. Pain is difficult to assess in children at baseline, therefore, a high level of suspicion should exist and compartment pressure monitoring should be performed in unreliable patients. Mubarak et al. reported on a series of 27 patients subjected to intracompartmental pressure monitoring for a clinical suspicion of acute compartment syndrome. The wick catheter technique was employed not only to aid in the diagnosis of compartment syndrome at an early stage but also to indicate the effectiveness of the decompressions when used intraoperatively during fasciotomies. Matsen et al. reported on 24 children with compartment syndrome following injuries and surgery. The most common etiologies identified were fractures, vascular injuries, and tibial osteotomies. Compartment pressure measurements were helpful in establishing the diagnosis of compartment syndrome in young patients and in those with neurologic or vascular injuries with ambiguous clinical findings. Figure A reveals an AP radiograph of bilateral knees status post valgus-producing tibial osteotomies and epiphysiolyses of the medial tibial physes in a 6-year-old male with Blount’s disease. Incorrect Answers: Answers 1 and 5 are wrong because immediate action should be taken to establish a definitive diagnosis and treat accordingly when a clinical suspicion of compartment syndrome arises. Answers 2 and 3 are incorrect because administering medications that can cause sedation will exacerbate the patient’s present state of drowsiness, confuse the clinical picture, and make the diagnosis of compartment syndrome even more difficult to establish.
3.4
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