Delayed splenic rupture following trivial trauma: A case report and review of literature

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Delayed Splenic Rupture (DSR) is a rare but well-known presentation of Blunt Splenic Injury (BSI), most of which occur due to motor accidents, fall from height or direct blow to the left thorax or abdomen. Here we present a case of DSR five days after a trivial trauma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year-old female presented with pain in the left-hypochondrium after an accidental bump against a furniture at home. Initially, it was a grade III splenic injury but upon arrival to our hospital from her hometown it had progressed to grade IV. Since the patient was hemodynamically stable, non-operative management (NOM) was chosen with close monitoring at the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the next morning, the patient deteriorated, showing signs of hemorrhagic shock, and a successful emergency splenectomy was done. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing inclination of surgeons towards NOM, even for high grade injury. NOM failure has been found to be associated with advancing age, high Injury Severity Score (ISS) or splenic injury. Some factors that improve the success of NOM are admission to ICU/floor, frequent monitoring of hemoglobin/hematocrit, vital signs, abdominal examination, and limiting heavy physical activity. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should not limit the possibility of occurrence of DSR to only major traumatic events. It is imperative that a detailed history of major or trivial trauma in the preceding weeks be elicited for any patients presenting with abdominal pain.