What to do when having an abdominal abscess due to a foreign body?

The article was professionally consulted by MSc Vu Van Quan - Department of General Surgery & Anesthesia, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 10 years of experience working in the field of General Gastroenterology.

Abdominal abscess is a condition in which there is an inflamed pocket of tissue filled with pus. Intra-abdominal abscesses may occur within or behind the abdomen. In addition, abscesses can also form around some organs in the abdomen such as liver, kidney, pancreas.
Intra-abdominal abscess due to many causes such as bowel rupture, intra-abdominal visceral rupture, abdominal trauma or intra-abdominal surgery, ... In which, abdominal abscess due to foreign body is a condition Patients swallow sharp objects, foreign bodies enter the digestive tract and puncture the digestive tract into the abdomen, causing infection in the abdomen. At this time, if the patient is not detected and treated promptly, it can be life-threatening.

Abdominal abscesses in general and abscesses caused by foreign bodies can cause patients to have symptoms such as:
High fever (39 - 40 degrees Celsius) lasting and continuous, with chills. Tired, unwell, pale skin. Dry mouth, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. At the site of the abscess can cause pain, swelling, when pressed hard can feel a sharp pain. Abdominal pain, difficulty urinating. The above symptoms make the diagnosis of abdominal abscess confused with other diseases. Therefore, to be able to diagnose and give accurate results, doctors must rely on other imaging methods such as ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography (CT-scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Abdominal abscess due to foreign body, if not detected early and treated promptly, can lead to life-threatening infection. To prevent complications caused by foreign body abscesses in the abdomen, as soon as the foreign body is swallowed, the patient should be taken to medical facilities for treatment.
To treat an abdominal abscess, the patient is first drained to drain the pus from the abscess. This procedure is performed as follows:
Ultrasound or CT scan of the abdomen. Insert a needle into the abscess to drain the pus. The pus sample is analyzed to determine the type of antibiotic to use. Intravenous antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. In some cases, the doctor will recommend surgery to treat an abdominal abscess if the abscess cannot be accessed with a needle, or the organ ruptures and helps clear the abscess. During surgery, the patient will be under general anesthesia, then the doctor will make an incision in the abdomen to locate the abscess, set up a drainage tube for the patient when the abscess heals.
Abdominal abscess due to foreign body can cause many life-threatening complications. Therefore, when there is an abscess, the patient needs to go to a medical facility immediately for treatment.