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Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, 7e
| Section 9. Gastrointestinal Emergencies > |
Chapter 74. Acute Abdominal Pain
Sections: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, Treatment, Disposition and Follow-Up, Special Populations, The Postoperative Patient with Acute Abdominal Pain, Acknowledgment, References.
Topics Discussed: abdominal pain.
Excerpt:"More adult patients visit EDs annually in the U.S. for "stomach and
abdominal pain, cramps, or spasms" than for any other chief complaint.
In 2006, 6.7% of ED visits—8.04 million patient encounters—were
for abdominal pain.1 Demographics (age, gender,
ethnicity, family history, sexual orientation, cultural practices,
geography) influence both the incidence and the clinical expression
of abdominal disease. The history, vital signs, and physical findings
may not point to a specific diagnosis, and laboratory testing is
often not helpful. Although we cannot always identify the exact
cause of the patient's pain, we do seek to exclude life-threatening
disease and to narrow the list of diagnostic possibilities for further
workup. On the whole, clinical suspicion for serious disease is
paramount, especially for patients in high-risk groups...."
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