An Unusual Case of Compartment Syndrome of the Upper Extremity Caused by an iPad

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome develops when intracompartmental pressure increases either due to intrinsic or extrinsic causes. Increase in compartment pressure eventually can lead to impaired tissue perfusion followed by tissue death if no urgent intervention is performed. Patients with acute compartment syndrome usually present with pain out of proportion to apparent injury. It can cause rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and eventually acute renal failure. The definite treatment is fasciotomy in a timely manner. We here report a very interesting case of acute compartment syndrome in a young patient cause by pressure over his axilla by an iPad.

Keywords: acute renal failure; compartment syndrome; ipad; rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome.

Figure 1. CT scan of the chest showing diffuse edema (yellow arrows) within the left chest wall compartment.

Figure 2. CT scan of the left upper extremity showing diffuse edema (yellow arrow) within the left shoulder compartment.

Figure 3. Pathophysiology of acute compartment syndrome.

The figure has been modified for this publication. Original figure is from: Oak NR, Abrams RA. Compartment syndrome of the hand. Orthop Clin North Am 2016; 47:609. Illustration used with the permission of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.