The importance of the deep volar compartment in crush injuries of the forearm

Two cases are described of blunt injury to the forearm in the absence of bone injury, resulting in an acute deep volar compartment syndrome. The importance of the deep flexor compartment of the forearm is noted. The diagnostic pitfalls and the use of intra-compartmental monitoring are discussed. We emphasize that all such cases must be admitted and carefully studied as a matter of routine. If operation is undertaken, both the superficial and deep volar compartments must be adequately decompressed.