Occult splenic rupture with cardiovascular collapse: a report of three cases in critically ill patients

Three cases of splenic rupture causing cardiovascular collapse in critically ill patients are discussed. The first patient had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the days before the collapse, the second patient was recovering from severe sepsis and the third patient was recovering from severe sepsis, had received CPR and had undergone percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). The diagnosis was made at post mortem in two of the patients, the third patient, who bled following PEG, survived after prompt surgical intervention. Splenic rupture should be considered as part of the differential diagnosis of unexpected cardiovascular collapse in patients who have received CPR or who are recovering from sepsis.