Extended abdomen

[ElnadeWitt]

Good morning,

My husband is in ICU after he sustained a head injury falling of a ladder. He is in a medical induced coma and on a ventilator...it’s exactly 7 days today

He has been described as stable throughout. Day before yesterday they noticed a slight chest infection and he is being treated with antibiotics. They have slowly started weaning him of the ventilator and the sedation.

This morning I was told that he has an extended abdomen and that they are carrying on with the ventilation and sedition, but he remains stable ....what does that mean and is it common in ICU patients to have a extended abdomen?

I’m waiting for the doctor to call, but due to covid getting hold of her is VERY difficult and I’m not allowed in the hospital

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Sepsur]

I had it - it happens in about 50% critically ill people. I’m sure some one with more knowledge than I will explain why it happens better. I understood that as the organs fail & the gut is reduced to digesting liquid feed, natural bacterial fauna & flora of gut killed off by massive antibiotic use - the gut stops working properly- lying down horizontal for all that time ( gravity can’t work its magic either) there is a build up of gas, liquid - you name it. The sedatives often constipate you - I was having loads of pain killers too. The whole shebang leads to what’s happening to your husband. I woke up and ( bit confused by delirium in my defence) thought I was pregnant - I was so bloated

[ElnadeWitt in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you so much for your answer! This is all so confusing, as I’ve never been through anything like this and I definitely don’t understand what’s going on. I’m still waiting for the doctor to contact me, but at least now I know that it is something that can happen.

[Sepsur in reply to ElnadeWitt]

Yeh it is confusing. Have a look at some of the pdfs on this page

icustepschester.org/informa...

[ElnadeWitt in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you