A 58 year old man with a history of stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma, currently on chemotherapy, presents with chief complaint of RLQ abdominal pain. He appears in severe pain as you enter the room and his abdomen appears disteneded and stretched tight. Small bowel obstruction? you think as you approach the bedside. Not so fast!
A quick review of hernias - what they are, how to differentiate simple vs complicated types, and how to manage.
Consider a case: a 38 year-old male presents to the ED after intentional ingesion of multiple objects, which include razor blades, a fork and other sharp objects. Vital signs are stable, he has no abdominal tenderness, and an x-ray reveals several foreign bodies in the stomach that appear consistent with sharp objects, with no free air under the diaphragm. How do you approach this scenario and other similar cases?
A healthy 32 yo unvaccinated male presents with shortness of breath. "Easy, it's Covid" you think as you head for the room. But what about this other complaint? Abdominal pain? What's that about?
A quick review of the pathogensis, diagnosis and treatment of alcoholic hepatitis.
A potential complication of PUD and other disorders, GI perforation is a true life-threatening emergency.
Last week we discussed PUD and gastritis. We touch on H. Pylori as a leading cause of PUD, but it deserves it's own slot for review. While we don't usually diagnose or treat this in the ED ourselves, it is useful to know so we can discuss this important disease with our patients!
In the next several posts, we review some of the common GI disorders we see in the ED, starting with peptic ulcer disease and gastritis. Read on for a good overview and some pearls of wisdom from Dr. Ugorets!
Approach to Rectal Pain:
