What happens when a liver is lacerated?
An injured liver results in hemorrhaging (bleeding). The signs and symptoms of an injured liver include abdominal pain, guarding (holding hand over the area), tenderness in the upper right part of the abdomen, right shoulder pain and signs of shock and blood loss. This can be a major life-threatening event. Diagnosis is made by CT scan. What will happen to my child if he/she has a lacerated liver? The pediatric surgery team will be watching your child s lab results carefully to determine if the laceration continues to bleed. The lab results that will be most important will be your child s hemoglobin (main component of blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body) and hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in the blood). The results of this blood test should be expected to drop within the first 24 hours and then begin to resolve. Your child will be on complete bedrest for 24-48 hours with the hemoglobin and hematocrit tested every 6 to 12 hours. When your
