Compartment syndrome in a patient monitored with an automated blood pressure cuff

Noninvasive blood pressure monitoring may be hazardous in patients with seizures or movement disorders. We report on a patient with hyperactivity and tremor in whom a compartment syndrome was apparently induced by an automated blood pressure cuff. As the patient moved, the device seems to have continued to cycle in an attempt to obtain a stable baseline reading. Pressure tubing to the self-inflating bladder on such devices should be disconnected between readings in situations where frequent, easy observation is not possible.