• Chadwick Smith and Michael L Cheatham.
• Department of Surgical Education, Orlando Regional Medical Center, 86 West Underwood Street, Orlando, FL 32806, USA.
• Am Surg. 2011 Jul 1;77 Suppl 1:S67-71.

AbstractCritically ill medical patients are at significant risk for developing intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Although surgical IAH/ACS is commonly acute and dramatic in onset, medical IAH/ACS is more slow and insidious in its development but no less deadly. The presence of pre-existing comorbid illnesses among medical patients imparts morbidity and mortality rates that are significantly greater than those of their surgical counterparts. A variety of effective medical management strategies for reducing elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), coupled with early abdominal decompression when necessary, has been demonstrated to significantly improve patient survival from IAH/ACS. Serial IAP measurements, increased collaboration between surgeon and nonsurgeon, institution of medical management strategies, and early abdominal decompression for refractory IAH/ACS will lead to decreased rates of organ failure and improved survival for medical patients who develop IAH/ACS.

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