Is this incident realistic in Vacancy?

In Vacancy (2007), David Fox is stabbed at night (supposedly after midnight), and at the end of the film (in daytime), it turns out he's still alive. Is it possible in real life that a person is stabbed seriously from their abdomen and they can stay alive after several hours? Should blood loss not cause death in these cases?

Best Answer

Medical experts disagree on the need for surgical treatment to abdominal stab wounds. Most agree that an expert medical opinion is needed immediately. However, barring the evidence of evisceration (organs protruding from the body), or injuries to peritoneum exhibiting visible dramatic blood loss or bubbles indicating an injury to the diaphragm, surgery in the form of a laparoscopy to rule out serious damage is not necessary.

A study was compiled from stab wound data by Finnish doctors (Sorry, this article requires you to create a FREE account to read it) that found that in over 50% of the time, the patient could be discharged without surgery.

So, it is possible for him to survive a delayed visit to the hospital for 6 - 12 hours, though it is inadviseable.