A ruptured spleen is a medical condition that can lead to serious complications or death if not treated in a timely manner. This condition results in damage to the spleen that causes the body to start bleeding, causing the abdomen to fill with blood. Patients with a ruptured spleen tend to suffer from severe pain that causes them to seek medical treatment. The spleen is located in the upper left abdomen.
This non-essential organ helps the body to filter the blood, support the immune system and the generation of some types of blood cells. The organ is actually hidden under the rib cage to protect it from damage, but severe traumatic events, such as car accidents, misplaced blows blows and sports injuries can cause rupture of the spleen. Some people are at increased risk of rupture of the spleen because the spleen has become enlarged due to infection, in which case your doctor may recommend avoiding strenuous activity until the swelling is reduced.
When there is a rupture of the spleen, the capsule of the spleen breaks, releasing the blood that fills the organ. The body will continue to blood in the spleen road even if it is broken, causing the leakage of blood into the abdominal cavity. Patients usually experience severe pain in all their abdomens, along with a feeling of fullness. Some may develop confusion, blurred vision, light headedness, and as a result of blood loss. The abdomen may also appear bruised or feel tender. Historically, a rupture of the spleen was treated with surgery to remove the offending organ, followed by drugs to support the body once the spleen was removed.
Today, doctors prefer to use medical imaging studies to assess the severity of the damage, and may simply choose to hospitalize a patient for several days and support healing of the spleen, rather than just the removal. Blood transfusions may also be required if the patient has experienced a significant loss of blood from a ruptured spleen. Fortunately, rupture of the spleen usually causes pain that is so severe that patients seek treatment, ensuring that the rupture of the spleen is identified and promptly addressed.
More severe conditions such as appendicitis can also cause extreme abdominal pain, which makes it important to seek immediate medical attention for persistent abdominal pain. Since that surgery may be necessary, patients may want to go straight to the hospital, although a visit to a doctor established may allow patients to skip the wait at the emergency room and be admitted directly to hospital by their doctors, assuming that physicians have admitting privileges at a hospital.
