Spleen trauma

Spleen trauma in abdominal ultrasound refers to injury of the spleen, often caused by blunt abdominal force. This can range from contusions and lacerations to rupture, leading to internal bleeding. Ultrasound is a critical first-line imaging modality for rapidly assessing spleen trauma, especially in emergency settings, as it can quickly identify free fluid (hemoperitoneum) and direct splenic injury, guiding immediate medical intervention.

Early and accurate diagnosis of spleen trauma via abdominal ultrasound is vital for patient management. Sonographers look for signs like perisplenic fluid collections, subcapsular hematomas, or parenchymal lacerations. This non-invasive, radiation-free imaging technique helps monitor injury progression and facilitates timely decisions regarding conservative management versus surgical intervention, improving patient outcomes in acute abdominal trauma.

Clinical Author

Bruno Vargas is originally from Mexico City. He first trained as an Emergency Medical Technician at la Universidad Panamericana (UP) before starting medical school at la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City. Later he did his social service year in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas with Partners in Health Mexico/Compañeros en Salud (CES) in 2019, where he was trained in Global Health, social medicine, and introduced to Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). At that moment while working in a resource-limited setting he became passionate about POCUS. He graduated as a general practitioner, and afterward stayed with CES during the pandemic as part of the COVID-19 task force, training community healthcare workers and “pasantes” (first-year doctors doing their year of social service). He finished the Ultrasound Leadership Academy (ULA) fellowship and has started a POCUS training program at his site with midwives, nurses, doctors, and trainees from these areas. He is currently doing a Global Health Fellowship with HEAL as a site fellow in Chiapas with CES. He has committed to a lifelong career in global health providing healthcare access to the most marginalized communities. He has a profound respect and admiration for nature and loves any kind of outdoor activities, especially bicycling, high mountain, and scuba-diving.

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