Does the liver touch the rib cage?

The liver is partly protected by the rib cage. In fact, it is so tightly packed into the ribcage that a slight impression is often left on the top of the liver. The liver is the largest organ in the body.

Is surgery hard on the liver?

Surgery and anesthesia are stressful events, thus there is a possibility that liver enzymes and bilirubin may increase postoperatively. Mild elevations of serum aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, or bilirubin levels are frequent after surgical procedures, whether performed under general or spinal anesthesia.

Does your liver sit under your ribs?

Your liver is a football-sized organ that sits under your ribs. It works as your body’s processing plant. Among its more than 500 jobs are to convert food from the small intestine into substances that help you absorb fat and fight off diseases, stockpile energy, and filter and clean your blood.

Can liver problems make your ribs hurt?

When cirrhosis begins to cause pain, it typically appears in the upper right abdomen, or just under the lower right ribs. The pain can be throbbing or stabbing, and it may come and go.

How does anesthesia affect the liver?

Anesthesia reduces cardiac output, induces splanchnic vasodilation, and causes a 30-50\% reduction in hepatic blood flow. This places the cirrhotic liver at additional risk for decompensation.

How does surgery affect the liver?

During surgery, blood pressure and cardiac output drops. These drops reduce the flow of oxygenated blood to the liver. Typically, the hepatic artery dilates or expands to pick up the slack and compensate for decreased flow of oxygenated blood to the liver through the portal vein.

Can a punch to the ribs cause liver damage?

Overall, the results showed that liver rupture was primarily caused by a direct strike of the ribs induced by blunt impact to the abdomen. Among three impact directions, a lateral impact was most likely to cause liver injury with a minimum punch speed of 5 m/s (the momentum was about 2.447 kg.m/s).

Which punch direction is most likely to cause liver injury?

Among three impact directions, a lateral impact was most likely to cause liver injury with a minimum punch speed of 5 m/s (the momentum was about 2.447 kg.m/s). Liver injuries could occur in isolation and were not accompanied by rib fractures due to different material characteristics and injury tolerance.

How does blunt liver injury occur?

Blunt liver injury can be caused due to a variety of mechanisms including the classical theory that the liver was lacerated by penetration of the ribs that are fractured due to blunt trauma. However, a series of cases accepted and identified by our institute revealed something different.

What causes a liver rupture?

Liver injury may be caused by a direct impact with a certain velocity and energy on the abdomen, which may result in a lacerated liver by penetration of fractured ribs. However, liver ruptures without rib cage fractures were found in autopsies in a series of cases. All the victims sustained punches on the abdomen by fist.