Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Abdominal pain is a common reason for emergency department visits, with many patients not receiving a definitive diagnosis for their symptoms. Non-gastrointestinal causes need to be considered in the workup of abdominal pain. A high index of suspicion is needed in order to develop a broad differential, and a thorough history and physical examination is paramount. This article will discuss some of these diagnoses, including can't miss diagnoses, common non-abdominal causes, and rare etiologies of abdominal pain.
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Postprocedural complications encompass a wide array of conditions that vary in acuity, symptoms, index procedure, and treatment. Continued advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures have led to a significant shift of procedures to the ambulatory setting. This trend is of particular interest to the emergency physician, as patients who develop complications often present to an emergency department for evaluation and treatment. Here the authors examine a high-yield collection of procedures, both ambulatory and inpatient, notable for their frequent utilization and unique complication profiles including common laparoscopic surgical procedures, bariatric surgery, endoscopic procedures, interventional radiology procedures, and hernia repairs with implantable mesh.
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Occult abdominal injuries are common and can be associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Patients with a delayed presentation to care or who are multiply injured are at increased risk of this type of injury, and a high index of suspicion must be maintained. A careful combination of history, physical examination, laboratory, and imaging can be quite helpful in mitigating the risk of a missed occult abdominal injury.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Nov 2021
ReviewDiagnoses of Exclusion in the Workup of Abdominal Complaints.
Abdominal pain is a common complaint in the emergency department, comprising 8.8% of all visits. Despite advances in medicine and imaging, 20% to 30% of patients still leave the department without a definitive diagnosis, whichhis can be both distressing for patients and unsatisfying for providers. Diagnoses of exclusion can be perilous, and their application should be carefully considered in order to not overlook more emergent complaints. However, a working knowledge of diagnoses of exclusion can guide therapeutics and specialty referrals that can ultimately provide answers and relief to a patient population often at odds with available information and expectations.