injuries and poisoning
Overview of Abdominal Injuries
Introduction
The abdomen can be injured in many ways. The abdomen alone may be injured or injuries elsewhere in the body may also occur. Injuries can be relatively mild or very severe. Doctors often classify abdominal injuries by the type of structure that is damaged and how the injury occurred. The types of structures include the Abdominal wall Solid organs (that is, the liver, spleen, pancreas, or kidneys) Hollow organs (that is, the stomach, small intestine, colon, ureters, or bladder) Blood vessels Abdominal injuries may also be classified by whether the injury is Blunt Penetrating Blunt traumamay involve a direct blow (for example, a kick), impact with an object (for example, a fall onto bicycle handlebars), or a sudden decrease in speed (for example, a fall from a height or a motor vehicle crash). The spleen and liver are the two most commonly injured organs. Hollow organs are less likely to be injured. Penetrating injuriesoccur when an object breaks the skin (for example, as a result of a gunshot or a stabbing). Some penetrating injuries involve only the fat and muscles under the skin. These penetrating injuries are much less concerning than those that enter the abdominal cavity. Gunshots that enter the abdominal cavity almost always cause significant damage. However, stab wounds that enter the abdominal cavity do not always damage organs or blood vessels. Sometimes, a penetrating injury involves both the chest and the upper part of the abdomen. For example a downward stab wound to the lower chest may go through the diaphragm into the stomach, spleen, or liver. Blunt or penetrating injuries may cut or rupture abdominal organs and/or blood vessels. Blunt injury may cause blood to collect inside the structure of a solid organ (for example, the liver) or in the wall of a hollow organ (such as the small intestine). Such collections of blood are calledhematomas. Uncontained bleeding into the abdominal cavity, in the space surrounding the organs, is calledhemoperitoneum. Cuts and tears begin bleeding immediately. Bleeding may be minimal and cause few problems. More serious injuries may cause massive bleeding with Shock and sometimes death. Bleeding from abdominal injury is mostly internal (within the abdominal cavity). When there is a penetrating injury, a small amount of external bleeding may occur through the wound. When a hollow organ is injured, the contents of the organ (for example, stomach acid, stool, or urine) may enter the abdominal cavity and cause irritation and inflammation (peritonitis). 