Enhance your trauma care skills with the Platinum Trauma Exam. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Prepare now!

Multiple Choice

In blunt abdominal trauma, which solid organs are most commonly injured, and which sign indicates splenic injury?

In blunt abdominal trauma, the most commonly injured solid organs are the spleen and the liver because they are large, highly vascular, and lie within the peritoneal cavity where blunt forces readily transmit. The spleen, in particular, is vulnerable due to its soft tissue and position beneath the left rib cage, making it a frequent target for injury. The sign that points to splenic injury is Kehr sign, which is referred pain to the left shoulder caused by diaphragmatic irritation from intraperitoneal blood after splenic rupture or injury. Other signs listed—such as Cullen sign (periumbilical ecchymosis) or Grey Turner sign (flank ecchymosis)—are not specific indicators of splenic injury and relate to different contexts of intra- or retroperitoneal bleeding. McBurney sign is associated with appendicitis.

In blunt abdominal trauma, the most commonly injured solid organs are the spleen and the liver because they are large, highly vascular, and lie within the peritoneal cavity where blunt forces readily transmit. The spleen, in particular, is vulnerable due to its soft tissue and position beneath the left rib cage, making it a frequent target for injury. The sign that points to splenic injury is Kehr sign, which is referred pain to the left shoulder caused by diaphragmatic irritation from intraperitoneal blood after splenic rupture or injury. Other signs listed—such as Cullen sign (periumbilical ecchymosis) or Grey Turner sign (flank ecchymosis)—are not specific indicators of splenic injury and relate to different contexts of intra- or retroperitoneal bleeding. McBurney sign is associated with appendicitis.