[Effects of sudden abdominal decompression on the cardio-pulmonary function]

The authors present certain observations on a female patient with large uterine fibroma, HTA and obesity who underwent a cardiac stop in the moment of excising fibroma out of the peritoneal cavity ; she was resuscitated but the cardiac stop repeated for two times and finally she survived. Four months later, total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy was performed with no incidences. We discuss on the intraabdominal pressure increase effect (IAP) more than 10-15 mmHg determining an intraabdominal hypertension (IAH) with negative effects on the tissular and cell perfusions and producing an "abdominal compartment syndrome" (ACS). Intraabdominal hypertension has a significant consequence on the cardio-vascular system by reducing the cardiac pre-charge, cardiac contractility decrease, cardiac flow decrease and post-charge increase. All these changes reduce the heart ability to fit to sudden abdominal decompression and producing a vacuum into the abdominal vessels and stopping the heart by a more significant reducing of the pre-charge and cardiac flow.