Question

Maria has been in a car accident and sustained blunt trauma to her abdomen. After being taken to the emergency room, she found out that the crash may have affected some of the organs in her abdominal cavity. What is the urgency in determining if one has a ruptured viscus?

Answer 1

Acute gastrointestinal perforation should be considered one of the cause of acute abdominal pain in the ill patient. As in the case of ruptured aortic abdominal aneurysm or mesenteric ischemia, a patient with perforated viscus needs to be expediently diagnosed , simultaneously resusciated , and recieves timely surgical consultation.Despite advances in surgical and post- surgical care, mortality remains 30-50%.Reliance on historical and clinical findings in paramount when the inital studies may not reveal the characteristic radiological signs of pneumoperitoneum.