Raised intracompartmental pressure and compartment syndromes

Raised intracompartmental pressure (ICP) has become recognized as the final common pathway of a variety of pathologies which lead to failure of the microcirculation with resultant tissue hypoxia and cell death. While commonly seen after trauma, either accidental or operative, raised ICP may result from either an increase in the volume of tissue within a closed osseo-fascial or fascial compartment or by the application of an external force compressing a compartment, and it is associated with a wide variety of insults. The advent of reproducible techniques of measuring ICP has added science to a well-recognized clinical picture and allowed a rational approach to management. Controversies still remain, particularly in regard to the level of pressure at which intervention becomes mandatory, and the role of prophylactic interventions. This review attempts to present current thinking on the pathophysiology of the microcirculation and the background to these controversies.