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The Polycompartment Syndrome: What’s all the Fuss About?

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Intensive Care Medicine

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Abstract

A compartment syndrome exists when the increased pressure in a closed anatomic space threatens the viability of enclosed and surrounding tissue [1]. Within the body there are four major compartments: The head, the chest, the abdomen, and the extremities. Within each compartment an individual organ or a region with multiple organs can be affected by a compartment syndrome. Table 1 summarizes the different compartments and their related pathologies [2]. A compartment syndrome is not a disease; as such it can have many causes and can develop within many disease processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Care Unit ZiekenhuisNetwerk Antwerpen, Lange Beeldekensstraat 267, 2060, Antwerp, Belgium

    M. L. N. G. Malbrain & I. De Laet

  2. Surgical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    J. De Waele

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  1. M. L. N. G. Malbrain
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  2. I. De Laet
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  3. J. De Waele
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  1. Department of Intensive Care Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent MD, PhD, FCCM, FCCP (Head) (Head)

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Malbrain, M.L.N.G., De Laet, I., De Waele, J. (2010). The Polycompartment Syndrome: What’s all the Fuss About?. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5562-3_44

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5562-3_44

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