Liver Laceration: How to Care for Your Child

Make sure your child carefully follows the activity guidelines from the health care team to help manage pain and prevent re-injuring the liver.

The liver is an organ located in the abdomen that helps remove waste products from the blood. When your child had blunt trauma (a blow to the abdomen), the liver was "lacerated," which means some of the liver tissue was separated. The liver also might be bruised, depending on the severity of the injury. Studies show that most children with blunt liver injury can be treated successfully without surgery.

Liver lacerations are graded on a scale from 1–6, where 1 is the least severe and 6 is the most severe. Your child may have a superficial (on the surface) injury or a deep tear in the liver that needs a lot of time and rest to heal on its own.

During the hospital stay your child was monitored carefully by the health care team and any necessary treatment was given. Your child now can be safely cared for at home.

The usual treatment for a liver laceration is rest and limited physical activity. The length of time that your child needs to restrict activity after discharge from the hospital depends on the seriousness of the injury. You can expect complete healing of your child's liver if you follow your health care provider's instructions carefully.

• Ask your health care provider about activity restrictions depending upon the grade of the laceration to the liver.

• Follow the instructions from your child's health care provider to prevent re-injuring the liver.

• Your child should not participate in sports, gym class, or physical activity until your child's health care provider says it's OK to resume normal activities.

• Give your child acetaminophen for pain as directed.

• Follow up with your child's health care provider as instructed.

• The pain becomes severe or isn't relieved by pain medication.

• Your child's abdomen becomes swollen.

• Your child starts vomiting.

• Your child has a high fever.

Your child:

• Injures the abdomen again.

• Looks pale and becomes drowsy.

• Experiences dizziness or fainting.

• Has yellow discoloration of the skin or the white part of the eyes.

• Vomits blood or has blood in his/her urine (pee) or stool (poop).

• Appears dehydrated; signs include drowsiness, a dry or sticky mouth, producing less urine or darker than usual urine.