A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency. In this lesson, we will learn more about complications from a ruptured spleen. We will also learn about treatment and recovery from this injury.
Ruptured Spleen: Complications, Treatment & Recovery Time
Table of Contents
- What is your Spleen?
- What happens when your Rupture your Spleen?
- Treatment for a Ruptured Spleen
- Lesson Summary
The spleen is a small, fist-size organ located next to your stomach on the upper left side of your abdomen. The spleen plays an important role in helping your body fight off infections. It also produces red blood cells and filters out old blood cells from your bloodstream. You can see where your spleen is located in the picture below.
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But, the spleen is also the most often injured organ in sport-related abdominal injuries! In athletes, this is the most common cause of death related to an abdominal injury. Let's take a look at what happens when you rupture your spleen.
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A ruptured spleen occurs after blunt force trauma to the left side of the abdomen. This most often occurs due to a car accident, sports injury, or fighting. If you rupture your spleen, you will likely have pain in the upper left area of your abdomen and it may radiate to your left shoulder. The bleeding from a ruptured spleen may make your abdomen firm and swollen, and you may go into shock.
A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency and may result in death from massive internal bleeding. So how do we treat this injury?
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Immediate medical attention is needed for a ruptured spleen. The doctor will assess the severity of the injured spleen. If the bleeding is not severe and the person is stable, they will need to be monitored in the hospital for awhile. Even if they don't require surgery, they may still have active bleeding and may require blood transfusions.
Further interventions may be needed to manage the bleeding of a ruptured spleen. One technique is splenic angioembolization which is an embolization procedure (the closing up of a vessel, in this case an artery) that goes through the femoral artery to stop the bleeding in the splenic artery.
Surgical interventions may be needed. A laparoscopy requires only small incisions and a laparoscope to visualize the spleen. Open surgery is when a larger incision is made to open up the abdomen. Depending on the extent of the injury and bleeding, the doctor may perform a splenorrhaphy, which repairs the spleen by using stitches; he may remove part of the spleen, or he may do a splenectomy, which removes the spleen completely.
Possible Complications
Even if surgery is not required, there are possible complications with this injury and treatments that can include delayed bleeding, cyst formation or even death of the spleen tissue. Surgery always has additional risks involved, which include bleeding, infection, or blood clots.
A person can live without their spleen, but there are additional risks of infection without it. Vaccinations are recommended to help prevent infections for a person whose spleen has been removed completely.
Recovery after a Ruptured Spleen
Recovering from a ruptured spleen takes time. You will want to avoid further injury that could cause continued bleeding. You will be monitored by your doctor as you recover. Recovery can take three to six months until you can resume all previous activity without risk.
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The spleen is a small, fist-size organ in the upper left side of your abdomen. Blunt force trauma can result in a ruptured spleen which is life-threatening and requires emergency medical attention.
If the injury isn't severe, a person will be admitted to the hospital for observation and may need blood transfusions to restore the blood loss. More invasive interventions may be needed if the bleeding is significant. Splenic angioembolization is a procedure to stop the bleeding int the splenic artery. A laparoscopy or open surgery may be done to repair the spleen (splenorraphy), remove part of the spleen, or remove the entire spleen (splenectomy).
Bleeding is the main complication of a ruptured spleen and delayed bleeding, cyst formation, or spleen death can occur. Surgery has additional risks involved such as bleeding, infection, and blood clots.
You can live without your spleen but you have a much higher risk of infection and need vaccinations to help protect you. Recovery after a splenic rupture can take quite some time and it can be three to six months until you can resume all previous activities.
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is for your information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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Additional Activities
Ruptured Spleen: Multiple Choice Exercise
This activity will help you assess your knowledge regarding the complications, treatment, and recovery from a ruptured spleen.
Directions
For this activity, carefully read and select the best answer that completes each of the given statements. To do this, print or copy this page on blank paper and circle the letter of your answer.
Multiple Choice
1) A ruptured spleen is typically caused by a strong blow to the __________.
A. lower left chest
B. upper right chest
C. lower right side of the abdomen
D. upper left side of the abdomen
2) Which of the following describes the function of the spleen?
A. The spleen clears invading bacteria or viruses in the bloodstream.
B. The spleen provides red blood cells for a developing fetus.
C. The spleen filters out old blood cells from the bloodstream.
D. All of the above
3) The splenorrhaphy is the most frequently injured organ in any sports-related abdominal injury.
A. True
B. False
4) __________ is a safe procedure that applies a suture, or a row of stitches, to a ruptured spleen.
A. Splenorrhaphy
B. Splenectomy
C. Open surgery
D. Embolization
5) Splenic embolization is a treatment that blocks the __________ to stop the bleeding in the __________.
A. axillary artery, splenic artery
B. splenic artery, aorta
C. femoral artery, splenic artery
D. radial artery, splenic artery
6) The typical period of recovery from a ruptured spleen would be about __________.
A. one to six weeks
B. one to two months
C. three to six months
D. eight to twelve months
7) Open surgeries to treat a severely ruptured spleen bring about some risks, including __________.
A. blood clots
B. infection
C. bleeding
D. All of the above
8) A person whose spleen has been removed will need vaccination to prevent infections.
A. True
B. False
Answer Key
- D
- D
- B. The correct statement would be: The spleen is the most frequently injured organ in any sports-related abdominal injury.
- A
- C
- C
- D
- A
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Ruptured Spleen: Complications, Treatment & Recovery Time
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