Crush injuries, compartment syndrome and other traumatic ischemias

Crush injuries and compartment syndrome are acute traumatic ischemias related with complicated wounds following severe physical injury.  Crush injury may be caused by severe blows, great weight, automobile, gunshots and other accidents.  Complications such as amputation and non-healing bone fractures may arise.
Compartment syndrome results when pressure builds within the body after surgery, muscle strain or injury.  Muscle death or nerve damage may be a result. Compartment syndrome has been found wherever a compartment is present: hand, forearm, upper arm, abdomen, buttock, and entire lower extremity.  Physical signs of compartment syndrome can range from severe pain at rest or with any movement to the limb that is affected feeling hard or as if it is filling with fluid.  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used in conjunction with other methods to treat these types of injuries.  While severe presence of crush injuries almost always requires surgery, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective way that offsets the pathophysiological events which occur with these conditions.  Studies show that there is a great reduction in the loss of muscle function, metabolites associated with muscle injury, edema, and muscle necrosis when HBO2 is used in crush injury, compartment syndrome models