Abstract
We report a patient who developed compartment syndrome and was treated with intravenous regional block. A 32-year-old man with Marfan syndrome presented with acute aortic dissection and underwent a Bentall Operation. The extracorporeal circulation lasted 7 hours and 33 minutes. His postoperative course was complicated with compartment syndrome of the right leg and received decompression fasciotomy. He developed sensorimotor neuropathy, edema of the right foot and leg, and drop foot. He was referred to us for treatment of pain. Treatment with nerve block was avoided since he was under antithrombotic treatment. We chose intravenous regional block for his pain. Intravenous regional blocks with lidocaine and dexamethasone were performed 8 times, with a tourniquet cuff over the lower leg. The duration of tourniquet application was 5 min, and the cuff pressure was set at 250 mmHg. His pain decreased, and insomnia resulting from pain, edema of the leg, and motor function of the leg improved after the blocks. Pain relief allowed more active physiotherapy. Intravenous regional block may be effective in some patients with compartment syndrome.
