Meaning & use
compartment syndrome
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A painful, dangerous condition in which pressure inside a muscle compartment cuts off blood flow and damages nerves.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and singular: compartment syndrome is serious; not "a compartment syndrome" in general use.
Patterns
- compartment syndrome in the leg
- develop compartment syndrome
- treat compartment syndrome
After the car crash, doctors watched his swollen calf closely for compartment syndrome.
Untreated compartment syndrome can destroy muscle and nerve tissue within hours.
noununcountablemedical
The same pressure problem in the abdomen, where raised pressure inside the belly harms organs and breathing.
Grammar: This sense is often written as "abdominal compartment syndrome" to make the site clear.
Patterns
- abdominal compartment syndrome
The intensive care team measured bladder pressure to check for abdominal compartment syndrome.
Abdominal compartment syndrome can make it hard for a patient on a ventilator to get enough oxygen.
Common combinations
- acute compartment syndrome
- Acute compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
- chronic exertional compartment syndrome
- Runners who get calf pain after a fixed distance may have chronic exertional compartment syndrome.
- develop compartment syndrome
- Patients with a broken leg can develop compartment syndrome if the swelling is not monitored.
- a fasciotomy for compartment syndrome
- The surgeon performed a fasciotomy for compartment syndrome to release the pressure.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compression syndrome
- A broader, less precise term for damage caused by pressure; it is not a standard medical diagnosis in the way compartment syndrome is.
Word family
- compartment noun
- A separate section or space, such as a section of muscle enclosed by tough tissue.
- syndrome noun
- A set of signs or symptoms that regularly occur together.
Commonly confused: compartment syndrome or crush syndrome?
compartment syndrome vs crush syndrome
Crush syndrome is a whole-body reaction after muscle is crushed; compartment syndrome is raised pressure inside one or more muscle compartments.
Practice
A hiker's lower leg is badly swollen after a fall, and the doctor says she must be checked for compartment syndrome. Why is this urgent?
Choose one answer.
Compartment syndrome is about dangerous pressure inside a muscle compartment, which can destroy tissue if not relieved. Option 0 is tempting because fractures often cause it, but a broken bone is a separate injury.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “compartment syndrome”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.