Understanding Abdomen Trauma and How to Manage It

Abdominal trauma is an injury that occurs in organs in the stomach, such as the stomach, intestine, pancreas, liver, bile, kidney and spleen. This trauma can occur due to blows or blunt force impact, or a sharp object prick. Abdominal trauma is an injury condition that must be treated immediately. It is important to anticipate and prevent various serious complications, such as heavy bleeding (shock), damage to organs in the stomach, abscesses in the stomach, peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, and abdominal compartment syndrome. If not immediately get treatment from a doctor, severe abdominal trauma that causes bleeding in organs in the abdomen is at high risk of death.

Get to know the type of abdominal trauma

In general, there are two types of abdominal trauma known in the medical world, namely:

Blunt abdominal trauma

Blunt abdominal trauma is trauma caused by blunt force collisions in the abdomen. This trauma can be caused by a traffic accident, a blow to the stomach, or falling from a height. The spleen and liver are the organs most often injured due to blunt abdominal trauma. Although relatively rare, abdominal injuries can also occur in the pancreas, bile, intestine, bladder, diaphragm, kidney, and large blood vessels (aorta) in the stomach.

Sharp abdominal trauma

Sharp abdominal trauma is trauma caused by a puncture or injury by a sharp object in the abdomen. This trauma can occur due to a sharp object puncture or a gunshot wound that hits the stomach. The severity of sharp abdominal trauma depends on the location of the wound, the shape and sharpness of the object causing it, and how deep the object is piercing into the abdominal cavity.

Treatment of Abdomen Trauma

Handling blunt trauma and sharp abdomen, actually not much different. The most important first aid step in an abdominal injury patient is to evaluate and stabilize the airway, breathing and blood circulation (Airway, Breathing and Circulation or ABC). The following is the explanation:

1. A (airway)

First, make sure there are no injuries, bruises or open sores on the neck. After making sure there are no neck injuries, rescue efforts can be done by placing the hand under the victim's chin and elevating it (chin lift) to open the airway. This step is done to help injured victims to breathe better.

2. B (breathing)

This action can be useful to ascertain whether the victim is really breathing or not. How to check is to see the rise and fall of the chest when breathing. If the victim is not breathing, an artificial respiration is needed.

3. C (circulation)

If the victim is not breathing and his pulse is not palpated, rescuers need to immediately perform chest compression CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and ask for help from others to call an ambulance. Perform CPR until medical assistance arrives. Similar to the principle of treatment for blunt abdominal trauma, abdominal trauma due to sharp objects also prioritizes the ABC principle. But remember, for a deep stab wound in the stomach, do not pull out the object because it can cause severe bleeding that can threaten the victim's life. Whatever type of abdominal trauma, immediately bring the victim to the Emergency Hospital of the nearest hospital to get medical help as soon as possible. After the victim's condition is stable, the doctor may perform a laparotomy operation to stop the bleeding and repair damage to the organs in the stomach.