A blunt spleen injury is one of the most commonly injured organs after an auto accident. It’s caused by a forceful blow to the abdomen.
The spleen is the organ that filters poorly functioning or damaged red blood cells. It also removes bacteria from the body and produces antibodies.
When a trauma patient is taken to the emergency room, he is assessed by examining the airway, breathing and circulation. The patient is classified as either Hemodynamically stable on unstable based on their blood pressure and heart rate. If there’s a high heart rate or low blood pressure , the trauma surgeon must find out the reason. If there is internal bleeding, the location must be found.
A CT-Scan with contrast agent is usually utilized. This may show hemmorage to the spleen and adjacent structures. If so, a splenectomy is usually indicated.
Spleen Injuries are classified a from Grade I (Least damage) to Grade 5 (Least Damage).
If the spleen is removed due to trauma, the patient can be susceptible to various infections from bacteria throughout his life including bacteria such as streptococcus pneumonia and other bacterial infections. Various vaccines may need to be give before and after the surgery to remove the spleen (Splenectomy) to ward off many of these infections.
Although someone can live without a spleen, it is not conducive to optimum health and they may be subject to frequent infections thereafter.
After the surgery, monitoring on a regular basis and frequent renewals of vaccine’s are often necessary.
An attorney hired to represent someone who has a splenectomy will normally hire a Life Care Planner who is a nurse or Doctor with advanced knowledge of medical economics so he can help evaluate the future cost of Medical care.
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer who has handled many splenectomy patients in the past. Please call me anytime for a free consultation at 916-921-6400 or 800-404-5400.
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