Which statement about abdominal eviscerations is correct?

• A. Most eviscerations occur to the left upper quadrant.
• B. Adherent material is preferred when covering an evisceration.
• C. The organs should be replaced carefully to avoid heat loss.
• D. The protruding organs should be kept warm and moist.

Answer: (D)

When abdominal evisceration occurs, the priority is to prevent drying and cooling of the exposed organs while you arrange for rapid transport. The best course is to cover the protruding organs with warm, moist sterile dressings and keep them contained without attempting to push them back in. Maintaining a moist environment helps preserve tissue viability and reduces the risk of infection, and keeping the patient warm minimizes hypothermia during transit.

Why this choice fits best: keeping the organs warm and moist directly addresses the concerns you face with exposed viscera—desiccation and heat loss—without introducing tissue injury. You should not attempt to replace the organs in the field, since that can introduce contamination and further damage; also, you should avoid dry dressings or adherent materials that can stick to tissue and cause tearing when you remove them. The location of evisceration isn’t limited to a specific quadrant, so stating a fixed quadrant isn’t accurate.

In short, the correct approach is to cover the protruding organs with warm, moist sterile dressings and keep the patient warm while arranging immediate transport.