Case of the Month #22 - intra-abdominal hypertension

Published 01/02/2022

Key Take Home Messages

  • It is important to be vigilant and consider IAH as it can present insidiously in critically ill patients – consider when a distended abdomen is present and organ dysfunction worsens.
  • Do not rely on the IAP as a sole indicator of whether IAH is present.
  • Treatment is multi-factorial with no one strategy correct for all causes.
  • Decompressive laparotomy is an aggressive treatment with significant morbidity attached.