[Risk of compartment syndrome in open and closed tibial fractures].
BACKGROUND
In orthopaedic traumatology; acute compartment syndrome is a common complication associated with tibial fractures. In our study, we investigate differences, if any, between open and closed tibialfractures in terms oftheir risk of compartment syndrome.


METHODS
Fourty-two tibial fractures of 39 patients, 29 (69%) closed and 13 (31%) open, having the risk of acute compartment syndrome according to the clinical examination, were monitored following traumas during which their DP (DP= Diastolic blood pressure -Absolute compartment pressure) and absolute compartment pressures were measured via intracompartmental pressure measuring equipment.


RESULTS
Average absolute compartment pressure was found to be 31.25 mmHg in open and 29,32 mmHg in closed fractures (p=O,484) whereas average DP was measured to be 47,46 mmHg in open and 49,66 mmHg in closedfractures (p=O,415). According to student's test, the difference between the two groups was not significant. We found the incidence of acute compartment syndrome as 7, 7% in open fractures, 6.9% in closed and 7, 1 % in overall tibial fractures andfasciotomy was carried out in those cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Statistically not significant difference between the pressure levels,found in open and closed tibialfractures, showed that open type oftibialfractures holds the risk of compartment syndrome as much as the closed one.
Ozkayin
Nadir
N
Ege Universitesi Tip Fakultesi Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Anabilim Dali, Izmir, Turkey, ozkayin@yahoo.com
Aktuglu
Kemal
K
D003161:Compartment Syndromes; D005596:Fractures, Closed; D005597:Fractures, Open; D006801:Humans; D012306:Risk; D013978:Tibial Fractures