What would cause this?

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

What would cause bloating prior to death? I tried to look up this answer on Google but I can’t find an exact answer.

Patient was at home, said didn’t feel well & then a family member told me that the pt.’s abdominal area was swollen. I don’t know what made the abdominal area swollen. Was it gas? Was it liquid? What would cause the pt. to fall down so suddenly & die? The pt. had been to the doctor prior for illness & they gave her antibiotics.

I am just at a loss because it happened so suddenly & unexpectedly.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, OrganizedChaos said:

Patient was at home, said didn’t feel well & then a family member told me that the pt.’s abdominal area was swollen. I don’t know what made the abdominal area swollen. Was it gas? Was it liquid? What would cause the pt. to fall down so suddenly & die? The pt. had been to the doctor prior for illness & they gave her antibiotics

My first thought was Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

[Wuzzie]

Abdominal Compartment Syndrome? Seen it in a child with chronic constipation. Did not end well. ☹️

On another note Hi OC. Haven't seen you here for a bit.

[LovingLife123]

A PE. I’ve seen people blow up and die suddenly from a PE.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

1 hour ago, Wuzzie said:

Abdominal Compartment Syndrome? Seen it in a child with chronic constipation. Did not end well. ☹️

On another note Hi OC. Haven't seen you here for a bit.

Hiiiii!!!! I’ve been super busy with life. My oldest son has ADHD & ODD. My youngest has Autism. Never a dull moment for me.

59 minutes ago, LovingLife123 said:

A PE. I’ve seen people blow up and die suddenly from a PE.

I thought briefly it might be a PE. I just didn’t know if it would cause the bloating.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

2 hours ago, NICU Guy said:

My first thought was Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

That makes a lot of sense. I just couldn’t place my finger on it.

[Asystole RN]

Perforated bowels secondary to an ulcer would cause this as well. More common than a AAA, especially after any kind of illness or significant stressor. Does not have to involve pain or GI bleeding.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

3 hours ago, Asystole RN said:

Perforated bowels secondary to an ulcer would cause this as well. More common than a AAA, especially after any kind of illness or significant stressor. Does not have to involve pain or GI bleeding.

I spoke to the family & she bled out of her nose & had bleeding in her lungs.

They are not doing an autopsy because it would cost too much so it would all be a guess at this point.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Is this a situation within your family?

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

2 hours ago, Silverdragon102 said:

Is this a situation within your family?

No, I was working for a family & I stopped by to pay my condolences. I wasn’t there when everything happened so I was asking questions to gain clarification.

[thenewspirit]

You are asking in the wrong place. The patient should have called 911, but nobody knows the whole story since the primary source (the patient) is deceased and no autopsy will be performed. I would imagine the patient was not reporting all symptoms and had an underlying condition which caused sudden death. Bloated abdomen may or may not be related to the cause of death. It may have been a suicide and the family does not know.

Just educate your patients and their families when to call 911, and move on. You can attend the funeral if the family invites you and make a donation after the funeral if you want.

I am sorry this happened to you, but it is nobody’s fault from the information you have given and we have to be objective.

[thenewspirit]

Overdosed on Coumadin