India’s vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, a right handed batter left the field after a catch in the third ODI (One-Day International) on 25th October and was hospitalised in Sydney with a confirmed spleen laceration.
The injury occurred during the third One-Day International (ODI) between India national cricket team and Australia national cricket team at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Iyer ran backwards from backward point to take a catch to dismiss Alex Carey. In the act of securing the catch he fell and was seen clutching his side and lying on the ground due to the pain. His team mates soon gathered around him and medical assistance was provided.
Later his vitals dropped significantly, due to internal bleeding and he was hospitalised. Subsequently, scans revealed a laceration in the spleen due to a minor rib fracture. He was admitted to a Sydney hospital ICU for monitoring.
The team board (Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI) confirmed he was out of the ICU now and under medical care in Sydney with an Indian team doctor monitoring him.
The spleen is a highly vascular organ located in the left upper abdomen under the rib cage.
MedBound Times connected with Dr. Bipin Jha, Consultant in Robotic, Laparoscopic, Laser, Endoscopic Colorectal General and Emergency Surgery currently working as a consultant in multiple hospitals in Patna (Savera Cancer & Multispeciality Hospital and Asian city hospital), to talk about the spleen injury in this particular case.
He explained that " there can be two types of injuries that might result in spleen rupture: penetrating injury (like knife or glass injuries) and blunt abdominal injury.
In this case, a forceful impact to the lower ribs has resulted in the injury. The spleen lies close to the 9th, 10th, and 11th ribs, so any injury to these ribs that causes a fracture and creates pointy tips might lacerate the spleen."
He also pointed out that "the spleen is the second most commonly injured organ in blunt trauma after the liver."
However, it is very rare for it to happen in a case like Shreyas Iyer’s, due to a fall. Adult ribs are generally tough, so the fall must have had a significant impact.Dr. Bipin Jha, consultant laparoscopic surgeon
"There are also other situations where the spleen is already diseased, such as in lymphoma or other conditions where the spleen becomes enlarged. This increases the risk of rupture too. "
A splenic laceration means there is a tear in the splenic tissue or capsule, which may cause internal bleeding (hemoperitoneum) and hemodynamic instability.1
According to Dr. Jha, "a ruptured spleen may result in shock. The person becomes thirsty, sweaty, restless, and experiences excruciating pain. There may be fainting." "The abdomen generally does not swell since it already has enough free space."
He remarked "some patients may lose 500 ml to 1 litre of blood in some cases. There can be external bruising. The patient may be hypotensive, and the respiratory rate might go up."
Diagnosis:
Contrast-enhanced CT scan is done if the patient is stable or a FAST scan is performed.
Dr. Bipin explains that "initially, the patient is stabilized with oxygen, IV fluids, and painkillers."
Classification is done after a Contrast enhanced CT scan using the AAST (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma) classification, from Grade 1 to Grade 5.
"Up to Grade 3, patients are managed conservatively without surgery.
The patient is kept under observation in the HDU (High Dependency Unit), and hemoglobin levels and vitals are monitored for 48 hours."
"Nowadays, most of the time, every effort is made to preserve the spleen."
Dr. Jha warned that, "after 48 hours of monitoring and checking vitals and hemoglobin in the HDU setup, there is a slight chance of delayed rupture within two weeks.
The patient should be warned of this possibility at discharge."
If delayed rupture occurs, the symptoms would include loss of consciousness, feeling giddy, etc. This usually happens in Grade 2 or 3 cases.
Other complications that might arise after the two-week observation period include infection of the bleeding clots, resulting in splenic abscess.
After the acute episode and observation period are over, patients are like any other individual and are not susceptible to spleen-related issues in the future.
Recovery depends on grade of injury: low-grade injuries may heal in 6–8 weeks; higher grades may take 2–3 months or more. Clear instructions should be provided regarding the need for urgent evaluation in the event of fever, abdominal pain, or rigors.
Reference
1. StatPearls. Splenic Rupture. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; updated June 12, 2025. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525951/.
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