The rise of non-traumatic extremity compartment syndrome in light of the opioid epidemic

Non-traumatic compartment syndrome includes all the other etiologies such as: ischemia/re-perfusion, burns, thrombosis, vascular disease, poor positioning during surgical procedures, and prolonged pressure due to altered consciousness. Data from the NIS are weighted to represent all US hospital stays [6].2.2 Study sample & variables The primary cohort was comprised of encounters with a diagnosis of compartment syndrome. Outcomes included: length of stay, surgical fasciotomy, amputation, mortality and disposition.2.3 Data analysis As the NIS database is survey-based, all analyses accounted for the study design using weights, clusters, and stratum. The other three regions had similar increases in rates as well as average rates in both sets of diagnoses, with the Midwest having slightly higher rates of increase.4 Discussion Our results demonstrate that non-traumatic compartment syndrome has increased over the same time interval as the opioid epidemic, while traumatic compartment syndrome has remained relatively unchanged.