European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Cardio pulmonary resuscitation has been one of the most performed life-saving interventions in any acute care setting across the globe. However, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) itself has been known to cause serious thoracic and intra-abdominal complications. The aim of this manuscriptis to describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic challenge we faced, highlight the potential of missing the diagnosis if not looked in to specifically, and outcome of a patient who developed intra-abdominal bleeding after CPR. We performed a literature search and found only scanty number of cases of intra-abdominal haemorrhage after CPR reported and none from India to our knowledge. There is no study found on this especially in the kyphoscoliosis patient.

Our main finding was that we noticed severe pallor, increasing perihepatic ascites on USG after return of spontaneous circulation with noticeable fall in Haemoglobin trend in a previously normal USG scan of the abdomen.

Our manuscript highlights the importance of recognizing intra-abdominal bleeding as a potential complication of CPR. Our case illustrates the need for a high index of suspicion, prompt imaging, and aggressive management of this life-threatening condition.