Case report: compartment syndrome after a suspected black widow spider bite

Widow spider envenomations generally produce systemic neurologic syndromes without significant local injury. We report a patient who sustained a black widow spider bite to the left forearm and presented to the emergency department with rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome. We documented a decrease in symptoms and compartment pressure after administration of antivenom. No surgical intervention was performed. We believe this report to be the first documenting compartment syndrome associated with black widow spider bite.