Introduction:

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a frequent and potentially devastating complication of extremity war wounds, mainly due to the frequently associated vascular, bone and soft tissue injuries, and the limit close monitoring during casualty evacuation. The objective of this review is to analyze the available and updated scientific evidence on the diagnostic-therapeutic management of ACS in combat casualty.

Material and Methods:

For the preparation of this work, an exhaustive bibliographic search was carried out in the databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Scielo and Latindex. For the selection of articles, inclusion criteria have been established: carried out in military environments or on combat casualties populations, written in Spanish or English, and published during the last fifteen years.

Results and Conclusions:

In the combat zone, the diagnosis is even more heavily weighted toward clinical evaluation and the treatment will consist of a prompt and complete fasciotomy of all compartments of the affected limb, inasmuch as delayed or incomplete fasciotomy has been associated with worse outcomes and increased morbidity and mortality. Pre-deployment training of surgeons has decreased the rate of revision fasciotomies.