Abdominal compartment syndrome: focus on the children

Abstract

This article is a concise summary of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) with an emphasis on factors relevant to their occurrence in children. It discusses the limitations in the direct application of the current World Society of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome consensus definitions and extrapolation of management practices derived from studying adult patients to the pediatric age group. Techniques that may be used for measuring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in children, normal IAP ranges, risk factors for developing ACS as well as current medical and surgical management options in children are discussed.