Ruptured Spleen

Your spleen is a tender, fist-sized organ in your upper left belly (abdomen). It’s primarily responsible for storing and filtering blood. It stores and filters 25% of your red blood cells and platelets at any given time, while helping to make white blood cells to fight infections. The inner “pulp” of the spleen that performs these functions is enclosed in a thin capsule of muscular tissue, with blood vessels passing through it.

The anatomy of your spleen makes it relatively easy to injure, especially by a blunt trauma to the outer capsule. If this capsule tears or splits, it’s called a splenic rupture. If your spleen ruptures, it’s the most likely of all of your abdominal organs to cause life-threatening internal bleeding. A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency that requires swift diagnosis and intervention, and sometimes surgery.