Musculoskeletal Key

Pulses Present and Pink Color. Unless there is a major arterial injury or disease, peripheral pulses are palpable and capillary refill is routinely present. Although compartment pressures are occasionally high…

Thermal injuries (burns), in addition to decreasing compartment space, are associated with massive edema. Measurement of intramuscular pressure is needed to document the underlying compartment tamponade and the need for…

If multiple compartments are involved and a significant amount of muscle infarction is present, the patient may develop crush syndrome, which refers to the systemic effects of myonecrosis on the…

Deep, unequivocally full-thickness burns may be excised to the level of the investing fascia using a scalpel, an electrocautery device, or even a laser. The excised wound must be covered…

Direct measurement of tissue pressure in muscle compartments using a pressure monitor (e.g., Stryker Pressure Monitor introduced in 1988) may also be useful in determining if escharotomy and fasciotomy are…

FLAME BURNS AND SCALDS Flame burns are the most common burns in adults. They are usually caused by the mishandling of flammable liquids, ignition of clothing, and house fires and…

Heat of sufficient intensity and duration causes coagulation necrosis and cell death, but the cell damage due to heat of lesser intensity is potentially reversible. The region of immediate cell…

In 2007, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel revised its previous staging scale to include Suspected Deep Tissue Injury and Unstageable Ulcers in addition to the previously described Stages I…

Once the ulcer is clean and a granulation tissue bed well established, definitive coverage/closure needs to be addressed. Small superficial ulcers heal by secondary intention as long as pressure is…