Hemophilia presenting as compartment syndrome in the arm following venipuncture. A case report and review of the literature.

A three-month-old male infant with undiagnosed hemophilia presented with fever and irritability. During the diagnostic evaluation a venipuncture in the right antecubital fossa led to hemorrhage and a compartment syndrome in the brachium. Differential diagnosis included osteomyelitis and septic arthritis but a 99technetium bone scan revealed only delayed washout of radioactive material from the right brachium without increased uptake. Despite elevated pressures in the muscle compartments of the right arm, surgical decompression was delayed until a complete blood coagulation profile was obtained. After replacement of deficient blood products, the compartment syndrome resolved without surgical decompression. Defective coagulation leading to hemorrhage into the muscle compartments of the arm resulted in a significant elevation of compartmental pressure. The unusual clinical presentation of the patient, as well as a lack of a positive family history, delayed the diagnosis of hemophilia and the subsequent replacement therapy.