Abdominal Injuries

The most common Abdominal Injuries are damaged blood vessels, organ contusions, and lacerations.

There are two types of damaged blood vessels:

1. Laceration or incomplete tearing of the vessel
2. Transection or complete tearing of the vessel, which can cause massive bleeding within the abdomen        

Both organ contusions or lacerations occur when vital organs within the abdomen (e.g. stomach, spleen, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, liver) develop bruises (contusions), or tear (laceration), which may lead to massive bleeding within the abdomen.

Abdominal Injuries are commonly diagnosed by:

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
• Computed Tomography (CT) Angiogram

Laparotomy is an operation that involves a long vertical cut in the abdomen to gain access to the abdominal organs (e.g. kidneys, liver, intestines) or the blood vessels that are severely damaged and causing massive bleeding.