OVERVIEW

    Acute Compartment Syndrome (ACS) can lead to devastating isabilities, amputation, or even death, if not diagnosed and treated immediately. ACS occurs when increased interstitial pressure within a closed muscle compartment, often the result of a fracture or other trauma, compromises blood flow to muscles and nerves within that compartment and results in ischemia and significant tissue and nerve damage. Rapid diagnosis is critical as it has been demonstrated that within eight hours of ischemia of the compartment, the damage to the muscles is often irreversible. Current methods of diagnosing ACS are extremely invasive and rely on the insertion of a large bore needle (16- 18- gauge needle) into the compartment to measure interstitial pressure. Clearly, the need exists for a more sensitive, minimally invasive pressure sensor to diagnose ACS.

INVENTION

    Researchers at Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University Health Sciences have developed a novel pressure sensor that can measure real time interstitial compartment pressure while avoiding the inherent invasiveness of catheter techniques. This sensor has been shown to easily measure pressures as low as 10mm Hg, and studies are ongoing to demonstrate a detection of pressure as low as 2mm Hg. This minimally invasive novel technology has the potential to replace the current fluid-filled manometric systems or solid-state transducers that are currently used to measure interstitial compartment pressure.