What are the symptoms and signs of a ruptured spleen?
Signs and symptoms of a ruptured spleen include:
- Pain in the upper left abdomen.
- Tenderness when you touch the upper left abdomen.
- Left shoulder pain.
- Confusion, lightheadedness or dizziness.
How do you diagnose a ruptured spleen?
Ruptured spleen
- Physical exam. Your doctor will press on your abdomen to determine the size of your spleen and whether it’s tender.
- Blood tests. Blood tests will evaluate factors such as platelet count and how well your blood clots.
- Checking for blood in your abdominal cavity.
- Imaging tests of your abdomen.
What is the most common cause of splenic rupture?
The most common cause of a ruptured spleen is blunt trauma to the abdomen, usually as the result of a road traffic collision. However, splenic rupture can occur due to sports injuries and physical assault. The spleen is the abdominal organ to which it is most likely an injury will occur during physical trauma.
How long does it take to notice a ruptured spleen?
When the spleen is injured, blood may be released into the abdomen. The amount of bleeding depends on the size of the injury. A hematoma of the spleen does not bleed into the abdomen at first but may rupture and bleed in the first few days after injury, although rupture sometimes does not occur for weeks or months.
What happens when spleen ruptures?
A ruptured spleen is an emergency medical condition that occurs when the capsule-like covering of the spleen breaks open, pouring blood into your abdominal area. Depending on the size of the rupture, a large amount of internal bleeding can occur. Your doctor may refer to a ruptured spleen as a “splenic rupture.”
What is the immediate danger of spleen rupture?
If there has been a great deal of blood loss from the spleen, the patient may have low blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. Sudden low blood pressure in someone who is believed to have a spleen injury, particularly a young person, is a sign that the condition is especially severe, and emergency surgery is needed.
What does a burst spleen feel like?
The main symptom of a ruptured spleen is severe pain in the abdomen, especially on the left side. The pain may also be referred to (felt in) the left shoulder, and can make breathing painful. Other symptoms, which are associated with a decrease in blood pressure due to internal bleeding, include: Feeling lightheaded.
What does it feel like when you rupture your spleen?
Symptoms of a ruptured spleen can include left-side abdominal pain, referred left shoulder pain, lightheadedness, confusion, dizziness, and blurred vision. Some individuals may also experience hemorrhagic shock as a result of massive blood loss. A ruptured spleen can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.
Can a ruptured spleen go unnoticed?
No, it is unlikely for a ruptured spleen to go unnoticed. It causes severe pain and tenderness in the left upper abdomen. The blood loss also causes noticeable symptoms like lightheadedness, dizziness, and confusion.
What are the signs and symptoms of delayed splenic rupture?
Most splenic injuries manifest at the moment of injury with symptoms of acute intraperitoneal hemorrhage and shock. Delayed rupture of the spleen after trauma is an unusual outcome but one that exists. In delayed splenic rupture (DSR) there may be an asymptomatic period between initial injury and the appearance of signs of internal hemorrhage.
What happens if the spleen ruptures?
The spleen is an extremely vascular organ and consequently splenic rupture can lead to large intraperitoneal haemorrhage, rapidly leading to fatal haemorrhagic shock. Whilst protected by the ribcage (Fig. 1), the majority of cases of splenic injury are secondary to abdominal trauma – particularly blunt trauma.
When to seek immediate medical care for a ruptured spleen?
Clinical Pearl: It is strongly advised to seek immediate medical care if an injury is sustained coupled with pain in the left upper stomach (abdomen) region along with any of the above-listed signs and symptoms. If severe injuries are untreated a ruptured spleen can be fatal.
How is a traumatic splenic rupture seen on a CT scan?
Figure 2 – A traumatic splenic rupture as seen on CT scan, the rim at the lower edge demonstrating a sign of free fluid (blood) The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) splenic injury scale (Table 1) is the most commonly used system for grading splenic trauma.