by AceMedEd

Teach card · keep it in your scrub pocket

Leg compartment syndrome

Ask after the case (five minutes)

  1. In the debrief, on paper: "Draw me the two incisions. Which compartments did each one open, and which nerve did we look for at the anterolateral incision?"
  2. Still in the debrief: "Which compartment is easiest to leave unreleased, why, and how did we know it was open today?"
  3. Before you leave: "Which bedside findings did this patient have before surgery, and which of them could you not have relied on if the patient had been intubated?"

Point at: the septum found through the short transverse fascial cut, and FDL on the tibia once soleus comes off.

End of day: "Draw me the incisions and the four compartments they open, with one nerve in each." Two minutes, no notes.

Where this kit and your technique differ, yours wins.

Send this to your students

Send it now. They prep alone while they wait, you stay with the patient, and you debrief for five minutes after the case. They won't see these questions.

Open the student page

Reviewed by Mehdi “AC” Talle, D.O., November 2026. Sources: Netter, Gray's Anatomy and Hoppenfeld's surgical exposures. Teaching schematic, not to scale; anatomy and technique vary. Management and indications are left to you on purpose.