ABSTRACT
Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is when a patient has intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) that reduces blood flow to their abdominal organs leading to dysfunction in their pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and gastrointestinal systems. Primary ACS arises from injury or disease within the abdominopelvic cavity. Secondary ACS, which is more common, manifests from conditions that originated outside the abdominopelvic cavity. Recurrent ACS is the persistence of ACS despite medical and surgical management. The pathophysiology of IAH and ACS is multifactorial and leads to organ dysfunction. Oliguria progressing to anuria is usually the first sign of IAH/ACS. Decreases in preload and cardiac output with an increase in afterload result from IAH/ACS. Medical and surgical management of IAH/ACS are used to reduce the IAP before irreversible organ damage occurs. When managing patients at risk for developing IAH/ACS appropriate monitoring and measuring of IAP will lead to early intervention and better outcomes in patients with IAH/ACS.
