Abdominal compartment syndrome

Definition

Abdominal compartment syndrome is a condition of organ dysfunction caused by increased intra-abdominal pressure (intra-abdominal hypertension), possibly due to intra-abdominal haemorrhage, retroperitoneal haematoma, or intestinal oedema, often occurred after surgical intervention or trauma, or often associated with septic condition. The importance of this clinical entity was recognised recently in the end of the 20th Century. Usually the abdominal distension due to primary ischaemic bowel injury was excluded from this clinical entity.

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