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Impact Biomechanics of the Abdomen

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The Biomechanics of Impact Injury

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Abstract

The abdominal organs are located under the dome-shaped diaphragm and most of the organs have no skeletal protection. The organs directly under the diaphragm have minimal protection from the lower ribs which have cartilaginous connections to the sternum and are not very strong. However, these organs are vulnerable to injury in an automotive crash and a delayed diagnosis of severe trauma can be fatal. Thus, tolerance of the abdomen to blunt trauma is a concern for automotive safety engineers. The topic is covered quite completely by Rouhana (1993) in a book chapter that details almost all aspects of the biomechanics of abdominal injury. It is recommended reading for anyone interested in the details of abdominal injury due to blunt impact.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Albert I. King

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  1. Albert I. King
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Appendices

Questions for Chapter 12

  1. 12.1.

    The abdomen contains both solid and hollow organs. The solid organs include:

    1. [ ] (i)

      The liver

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The appendix

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The rectum

    4. [ ] (iv)

      The uterus

    5. [ ] (v)

      The colon

  2. 12.2.

    The abdomen contains both solid and hollow organs . The hollow organs include:

    1. [ ] (i)

      The spleen

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The kidney

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The small intestines

    4. [ ] (iv)

      The adrenal glands

    5. [ ] (v)

      The ovaries

  3. 12.3.

    Which of the following is incorrect?

    1. [ ] (i)

      The liver is the largest organ in the abdomen

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The liver is the largest organ of the body

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The spleen is located on the upper left side of the abdomen

    4. [ ] (iv)

      Total blood flow to the two kidneys is about 1/4 of the cardiac output

    5. [ ] (v)

      The small intestines are about 7 m long

  4. 12.4.

    Which of the following is incorrect?

    1. [ ] (i)

      The right lobe of the liver is considerably larger than the left

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Solid organs are more frequently injured than hollow organs

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The pylorus sphincter is between the esophagus and the stomach

    4. [ ] (iv)

      In their undistended state, the wall of the uterus is thicker than that of the urinary bladder

    5. [ ] (v)

      The large intestines are divided into four segments

  5. 12.5.

    In the USA, a side impact to the driver’s door is likely to cause injury to abdominal organs. Select the incorrect answer:

    1. [ ] (i)

      The spleen is more likely to be injured than the pancreas

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Hollow organs are less frequently injured than solid organs

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The pancreas is more likely to be injured than the spleen

    4. [ ] (iv)

      (i) and (ii)

    5. [ ] (v)

      (i) and (iii)

  6. 12.6.

    In Japan, a side impact to the driver’s door is likely to cause injury to abdominal organs. Select the incorrect answer:

    1. [ ] (i)

      The liver is more at risk in comparison with drivers in the USA sustaining the same impact

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The spleen is more likely to be injured than the pancreas

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The pancreas is more likely to be injured than the spleen

    4. [ ] (iv)

      (i) and (ii)

    5. [ ] (v)

      (i) and (iii)

  7. 12.7.

    Abdominal mechanical response data are available from cadavers and animals

    1. [ ] (i)

      Lower abdominal stiffness from cadaver tests is approximately 53 kN/m

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Lower abdominal stiffness scaled to the human level from animal tests is also about 53 kN/m

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Abdominal stiffness in response to belt loading scaled to the human level is mainly in the range of 30 kN/m

    4. [ ] (iv)

      The use of scaling laws to obtain human abdominal response from animal testing is not reliable

    5. [ ] (v)

      Lateral abdominal stiffness was reported to be in the range of 100 kN/m but there are data that differ from this value

  8. 12.8.

    Tolerance of the abdomen to frontal impact has been given in terms of several parameters. Select the incorrect answer:

    1. [ ] (i)

      A peak force

    2. [ ] (ii)

      A peak compression

    3. [ ] (iii)

      A peak value for V*C

    4. [ ] (iv)

      A peak pressure

    5. [ ] (v)

      All of the above

  9. 12.9.

    Tolerance of the abdomen to lateral impact has been given in terms of several parameters. Select the incorrect answer:

    1. [ ] (i)

      A peak force

    2. [ ] (ii)

      A peak compression

    3. [ ] (iii)

      A peak value for V*C

    4. [ ] (iv)

      A peak pressure

    5. [ ] (v)

      All of the above

  10. 12.10.

    Tolerance of the

    1. [ ] (i)

      Liver to impact force is in the range of 0.24–1.56 kN (AIS > 3)

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Kidney to impact force is 1.82–2.14 kN (AIS > 3)

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Upper/mid abdomen to impact force is 3.11–6.73 kN (AIS > 4)

    4. [ ] (iv)

      (i) and (ii)

    5. [ ] (v)

      (i) and (iii)

Answers to Problems by Chapter

Prob

Ans

1

(i)

2

(iii)

3

(ii)

4

(iii)

5

(iii)

6

(iii)

7

(ii)

8

(ii)

9

(iv)

10

(v)

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King, A.I. (2018). Impact Biomechanics of the Abdomen. In: The Biomechanics of Impact Injury. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49792-1_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49792-1_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49790-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49792-1

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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