Prophylactic fasciotomy of the legs following acute arterial occlusion procedures.

During the 3-year period, 1983-86, 194 procedures for acute arterial occlusion were performed in our Clinic. In 43 cases following revascularization procedures, decompression fasciotomy of the leg for a developed or impending compartment syndrome was performed. Of these, three fasciotomies were done as a prophylactic procedure, before the development of the syndrome. Adequate and early fasciotomy should be considered by the vascular surgeon in every case of embolectomy when the ischemic time is greater than 6 hours, when the patient is young without sufficient collateral circulation, the history of acute arterial occlusion is precipitous, the patient is hypotensive and the back-flow is inadequate intra-operatively, despite the passage of the Fogarty's catheter down to the malleolus. Skin closure after fasciotomy has to be done early, mainly with approximation of the skin edges, or to cover early the exposed viable muscles with a free split-thickness autogenous skin graft. This was done in our series between the 8th and 14th postoperative days. In the case of muscle necrosis of the anterior compartment, skin coverage of the cavity has to be done later, after 2-3 weeks, as in some of our patients.