Early morbidity associated with fasciotomies for acute compartment syndrome in children.

Purpose: Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) requires urgent fasciotomy to decompress the relevant muscle compartment/s prior to onset of irreversible myonecrosis and nerve injury. A fasciotomy is not a benign procedure. This study aims to describe and quantify early morbidity directly associated with fasciotomies for ACS in children.

Methods: Clinical charts of 104 children who underwent 112 fasciotomies over a 13-year period at a tertiary children's hospital were reviewed. The following were analyzed: ACS aetiology, fasciotomy site, number of subsequent procedures, method of wound closure, short-term complications and length of hospital stay.

Results: Short-term complications included wound infections (6.7%) and the need for blood transfusion (7.7%). Median number of additional operations for wound closure was two (0 to 10) and median inpatient stay was 12 days (3 to 63; SD 11.7). After three unsuccessful attempts at primary closure, likelihood of needing skin grafting for coverage exceeded 80%. Analyses showed that fasciotomy-wound infections were associated with higher risk for four or more closure procedures. Number of procedures required for wound closure correlated with longer inpatient stay as did ACS associated with non-orthopaedic causes.

Conclusion: Fasciotomy is associated with significant early morbidity, the need for multiple closure operations, and prolonged hospital stay. The decision for fasciotomy needs careful consideration to avoid unnecessary fasciotomies, without increasing the risk of permanent injury from missed or delayed diagnosis. Skin grafting should be considered after three unsuccessful closure attempts. Less invasive tests or continuous monitoring (for high-risk patients) for compartment syndrome may help reduce unnecessary fasciotomies.

Level of Evidence: Level IV, Case series.