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Applied Physiology in Intensive Care Medicine pp 143–157Cite as

Different techniques to measure intra-abdominal pressure (IAP): time for a critical re-appraisal

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Abstract

The diagnosis of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) or abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is heavily dependant on the reproducibility of the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement technique. Recent studies have shown that a clinical estimation of IAP by abdominal girth or by examiner's feel of the tenseness of the abdomen is far from accurate, with a sensitivity of around 40%. Consequently, the IAP needs to be measured with a more accurate, reproducible and reliable tool. The role of the intra-vesical pressure (IVP) as the gold standard for IAP has become a matter of debate. This review will focus on the previously described indirect IAP measurement techniques and will suggest new revised methods of IVP measurement less prone to error.

Cost-effective manometry screening techniques will be discussed, as well as some options for the future with microchip transducers.

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  1. Medical Intensive Care Unit, ACZA Campus Stuivenberg Lange Beeldekensstraat 267, B-2060, Antwerpen, Belgium

    Manu L. N. G. Malbrain

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    © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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    Malbrain, M.L.N.G. (2009). Different techniques to measure intra-abdominal pressure (IAP): time for a critical re-appraisal. In: Hedenstierna, G., Mancebo, J., Brochard, L., Pinsky, M. (eds) Applied Physiology in Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01769-8_30

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01769-8_30

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    • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-01769-8

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