Date of Presentation
5-6-2021 12:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
We present a case of a 62-year-old female who presented to the emergency department complaining of classic cardiac chest pain and was ultimately diagnosed with hemoperitoneum due to a splenic laceration sustained during recent colonoscopy. The signs and symptoms between these two diagnoses can be vaguely similar, and a missed diagnosis of either leads to increased morbidity and mortality. To make an appropriate diagnosis, a thorough history and physical examination is imperative. Observation of non-musculoskeletal left shoulder pain in addition to abdominal tenderness should lead the astute clinician down a different path towards diagnosis. Kehr’s sign is present in many patients presenting with splenic injury and may be key to diagnosis in an otherwise stable patient.
Keywords
hemoperitoneum, spleen injury, chest pain, case reports, colonoscopy
Disciplines
Emergency Medicine | Gastroenterology | Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Emergency Medicine Commons, Gastroenterology Commons, Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases Commons, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Commons
Spontaneous Splenic Laceration Presenting as Stable Angina in the ED
We present a case of a 62-year-old female who presented to the emergency department complaining of classic cardiac chest pain and was ultimately diagnosed with hemoperitoneum due to a splenic laceration sustained during recent colonoscopy. The signs and symptoms between these two diagnoses can be vaguely similar, and a missed diagnosis of either leads to increased morbidity and mortality. To make an appropriate diagnosis, a thorough history and physical examination is imperative. Observation of non-musculoskeletal left shoulder pain in addition to abdominal tenderness should lead the astute clinician down a different path towards diagnosis. Kehr’s sign is present in many patients presenting with splenic injury and may be key to diagnosis in an otherwise stable patient.