Etiologies of non-traumatic extremity compartment syndrome: A multi-center retrospective review

Determine the etiologies of non-traumatic extremity compartment syndrome (NTECS), understand the demographics of NTECS patients, describe their diagnostic workup and treatment, and establish their rate and cause of in-hospital mortality. This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients diagnosed with NTECS at two level 1 trauma centers between January 2006 and December 2019. Data pertaining to the etiology of NTECS, patient demographics, diagnostic and treatment modalities, and in-hospital mortality were collected from electronic medical records. A total of 572 patients were included in this study with an average age of 54±18 years. The etiologies of NTECS were categorized into one of seven groups: 233 hypercoagulable state, 113 found-down secondary to substance use, 68 hypocoaguable state, 58 perioperative positioning, 55 shock, 30 infection, and 15 intravenous/intraosseous (IV/IO) infiltration. Approximately 13 % of patients underwent a skin graft or flap procedures, while 13 % of patients required an extremity amputation. The in-hospital mortality was highest in patients who developed NTECS due to shock (58 %). The average in hospital-mortality for all NTECS etiologies was 20 %. While uncommon, many etiologies of NTECS exist and often manifest insidiously. 13% of patients who develop NTECS will require a skin graft / flap, or extremity amputation. 20 % of patients who develop NTECS die during their hospitalization. High clinical suspicion and future research in this field are necessary to improve clinical outcomes for these patients. Level IV: Retrospective review.