What Is Abdominal Trauma?

Doctors and physicians generally consider abdominal trauma to be any situation in which blunt trauma occurs to the solid organs, such as the spleen, liver, pancreas, or kidneys. While the intestines, stomach, and bladder organs are hollow, they are still susceptible to injury after blunt trauma has occurred because they may rupture.

The most common examples of blunt trauma include car accidents, slip and fall accidents, assaults from other people, and accidents that occur in an industrial setting. Any person who has been involved in any one of these types of incidents is encouraged to visit a surgeon as soon as possible in order to have the injury evaluated.

Most patients head straight to the emergency room after the accident or incident that resulted in abdominal trauma has occurred. First and foremost, doctors and nurses will check for any hemorrhaging. If hemorrhaging is not occurring, an abdominal ultrasound is typically performed in order to check on the status of the internal organs.

X-Rays also may be performed in order to get a better picture of the body. Additional treatment options include laparoscopic surgery, splenectomy surgery, nephrectomy surgery, laparotomy exploratory surgery and anastomosis.

After being examined by the general surgeon, a patient with a severe injury may be sent to the Intensive Care Unit, or ICU. Most patients who have to have any type of surgery performed will wake up recovering in the ICU.

While in this special section of the hospital, the patient will receive extra monitoring and medical support during recovery. Most patients will require the use of an oxygen mask as well as a catheter. Some patients may need a ventilator or a breathing tube, depending on the extent of their injuries or the surgery that they had performed.