Question

A baseball player is hit with a pitch in the left upper quadrant. Initially he appears to be all right; but toward, the end of the game, he becomes nauseous and starts to vomit. He complains of pain in the left upper quadrant and also pain in his left shoulder extending down his arm. The athletic trainer palpates the abdomen and detects rigidity. within a matter of minutes, the player begins to develop shock-like symptoms.

A. What should the AT suspect happened to this patient?
B. How should the injury be treated?

Answer 1

a) Ruptured spleen

b) The patient should be monitored by the doctor and may need blood transfusion. If it is severe, surgery is done on the patient.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) The spleen is an organ with a fist sized shape located in the left-upper quarter of the abdomen, beneath the ribs. A ruptured spleen occurs when the spleen surface breaks, pouring blood into your abdominal area causing internal bleeding. This can be as a result of hit to the abdomen. Symptoms include abdominal pain, pain in the left shoulder, confusion, dizziness, shock, nausea.

b) The patient should be monitored by the doctor and may need blood transfusion. If it is severe, surgery is done on the patient.