నైరూప్య

Rumpel-Leede phenomenon after brachial artery catheterization

Ali Izzat Toufaily, Ali Amine El Sayed

Background: Rumpel-Leede (R-L) phenomenon is a rare event in which the small dermal capillaries of an extremity rupture in response to application of mechanical pressure to that extremity, such as when inflating a cuff during noninvasive blood pressure monitoring , when tying a tourniquet to draw blood or when applying compressive devices to the arm arteries following heart catheterization.

Case presentation: In this report, we present an interesting case of a patient who develops Rumpel-Leede phenomenon, characterized by the appearance of a petechial rash that results from acute dermal capillary rupture that occurred secondary to raised pressure in the dermal vessels caused by the inflation of a compression device at the brachial artery site post coronary angioplasty.

Conclusion: This report highlighted the importance of considering the Rumpel-Leed phenomenon as a benign and self-limited condition in patient who develops a petechial rash following compression of the upper extremity arteries.