Intra-Abdominal Pressure: Why Are You Not Measuring It?

Author Michael L. Cheatham
Source Critical Care Medicine | February 2014

Intra-Abdominal Pressure: Why Are You Not Measuring It?

Blaser et al report retrospectively evaluated three different risk factor-based IAP measurement practices within their institution over 7 years and 2,696 medical and surgical ICU admissions.

The identification of mean IAP within 24 hours of ICU admission is an independent predictor of mortality. Early serial IAP monitoring of patients at risk for IAH/ACS, coupled with an evidence-based multimodality management algorithm, improves patient outcome.

At least one in five ICU patients manifest elevations in IAP that have a detrimental impact on organ function and outcome. IAP measurements should be considered a routine parameter in any intensivist’s diagnostic armamentarium.

Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24434454/

Patrick Beer, DO, Critical Care Surgery Specialist, Hurley Medical Center

“I would recommend TraumaGuard to my colleagues – having watched it correlate 1:1 in the OR with insufflation pressures, as well as looking at the ease of use – this is a very valuable technology to use going forward, especially in resuscitation of patients in the ICU.”

Leo Mercer, MD, Critical Care Surgery Specialist, Hurley Medical Center

“Accuracy is difficult to assess – I can tell you that the best reference number I have for Intra-abdominal Pressure is coming off an insufflator, and to the extent that the TraumaGuard catheter is correlating - almost 1:1 - with that number, is comforting. It really can’t get better than that, frankly.”