Management of Compartment Syndrome With Ultrafiltration

This study will test the safety of a new treatment method called tissue ultrafiltration. We will test this method in the treatment of compartment syndrome, a condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels. In the legs and other parts of the body, a tough, stiff membrane covers groups of muscles and the nerves and blood vessels that run next to and through them. The entire unit is called a compartment. The causes of compartment syndrome include traumatic leg injuries and loss of blood supply. In tissue ultrafiltration, a doctor places hollow probes, or catheters, directly into the muscle compartment in the injured area of the lower leg. The probes remove fluid from the compartment (extra fluid can cause increased pressure). We will do an initial safety study in a group of patients who have had surgery for a broken tibia (the inner, larger bone of the lower leg) and are at high risk for developing compartment syndrome. The goals of this initial study are to show that inserting tissue ultrafiltration catheters in the muscle compartment is safe and can be done repeatedly without problems; to show that tissue ultrafiltration can be used to monitor the biochemical environment inside tissues; and to show that the catheter apparatus provides an accurate measurement of pressure in the compartment.