Abdominal Trauma - Causes

Causes

Motor vehicle collisions are a common source of blunt abdominal trauma. Seat belts reduce the incidence of injuries such as head injury and chest injury, but present a threat to such abdominal organs as the pancreas and the intestines, which may be displaced or compressed against the spinal column. Children are especially vulnerable to abdominal injury from seat belts, because they have softer abdominal regions and seat belts were not designed to fit them. In children, bicycle mishaps are also a common cause of abdominal injury, especially when the abdomen is struck by the handlebars. Sports injuries can affect abdominal organs such as the spleen and kidneys. Falls and sports are also frequent mechanisms of abdominal injury in children. Abdominal injury may result from child abuse and is the second leading cause of child abuse-related death, after traumatic brain injury.

Gunshot wounds, which are higher energy than stab wounds, are usually more damaging than the latter. Gunshot wounds that penetrate the peritoneum result in significant damage to major intra-abdominal structures in some 90 percent of cases.