Medical Dictionary: Compartment syndrome
Former CNN anchor Miles O’Brien recently announced that his left arm was amputated after an accident that left him with a case of compartment syndrome, a painful condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels, decreasing blood flow and damaging nerve and muscle cells. Compartment syndrome develops when swelling or bleeding occurs within a muscle compartment, the name for the groupings of muscles, nerves and blood vessels in the arms and legs. Because the connective tissue does not stretch, this can cause increased pressure on the capillaries, nerves and muscles in the compartment. As a result, blood flow gets disrupted, damaging nerve and muscle cells that don’t get a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients. O’Brien was injured in February while stacking cases onto a cart after a reporting trip to Japan and the Philippines.
Sources: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, CNN.com