Compartment syndrome as a critical complication in hand burns: A detailed clinical analysis

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a complication of burns with a high rate of morbidity and mortality, where the circulation of an extremity of the body is compromises, causing ischemia, necrosis and even the loss of the affected limb due to cell death. Compartment syndrome manifests itself with symptoms such as pain, absence of pulses, paresthesia, paleness and paralysis secondary to an increase in interstitial pressure in the affected limb due to poor tissue perfusion. Early intervention can reduce its irreversible consequences, so its timely detection is essential and must be recognized by all medical staff to preserve the vitality of the tissue through urgent surgical decompression faced with this complication. This review is about a case treated in the HDNJRE burn unit in August 2023 of a contact burn complicated by compartment syndrome and dry gangrene.