Trauma in the elderly : a bilateral rectus sheath haematoma
Abstract
Life expectancy has more than doubled in the last century, and a new cohort of elderly and increasingly frail patients is presenting to emergency departments with new clinical challenges. When this patient cohort presents after injury, all aspects of clinical practice have to be recalibrated to provide safe and appropriate care. The prevalence of chronic disease, levels of organ failure, multiple comorbidities, greater use of anticoagulation and incidence of recurrent low- and high-impact trauma may delay and obscure diagnosis and, ultimately, increase mortality. Older age is a risk factor for rectus sheath haematoma (RSH), which is haemorrhage into the potential space surrounding the rectus abdominis muscle/s. It is a rare presentation following trauma but can provide diagnostic challenges and be fatal. Even more rare is bilateral RSH with only 12 reported in the literature since 1981.This case report describes bilateral RSH presenting in an elderly woman following a fall and the consequences of seemingly minor trauma in the elderly.
Keywords: General surgery; Interventional radiology; Radiology; Trauma; Ultrasonography.
Author
Date
2023-12-07
Type
Article
Subject
Elderly care, Diseases & disorders of systemic, metabolic or environmental origin::Emergency medicine, Radiology
Collections
Citation
McArdle M. Trauma in the elderly: a bilateral rectus sheath haematoma. BMJ Case Rep. 2023 Dec 7;16(12):e256061. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2023-256061.
Journal / Source Title
BMJ Case Reports
DOI
10.1136/bcr-2023-256061
PMID
38061846
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group