Describes the concept of a surgical abdomen, acute abdominal pain, emergency intervention and approach to management, including the controversial use of analgesic and antibiotics in emergency room.
5. DEFINITION
• “An acute abdomen” denotes any sudden, spontaneous, nontraumatic
disorder whose chief manifestation is in the abdominal area and for
which urgent operation may be necessary.
• (alt) Sudden, spontaneous severe abdominal pain, tenderness and
muscular rigidity that is less than 24 hours in duration which may require
emergency surgery…
• Because there is frequently a progressive underlying intra-abdominal
disorder, undue delay in diagnosis and treatment adversely affects
outcome.
6. EPIDEMIOLOGY
• Acute abdominal pain accounts for 7–10% of all Emergency
Department visits.
• The most frequent causes is nonspecific abdominal pain
(accounting for about one-thirds of all acute abdominal pain and is
more prevalent in women
• The diagnosis and treatment of acute abdominal pain is a
collaborative effort, often starting in the emergency department.
8. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
• Acute conditions of the abdomen are produced by inflammatory,
obstructive, or vascular mechanisms.
• They are manifested by sudden onset of abdominal pain,
gastrointestinal symptoms and varying degrees of local and
systemic reaction.
9. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY (CONT)
Inflammatory causes of an acute abdomen: These may be divided
into two subgroups:
• 1) Bacterial – examples would include acute appendicitis,
diverticulitis, and some cases of pelvic inflammatory disease.
• 2) Chemical – for example a perforation of a peptic ulcer, where
spillage of acid gastric contents causes an intense peritoneal
reaction.
10. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY (CONT)
Mechanical causes of an acute abdomen:
• These include such obstructive conditions as incarcerated hernia,
post-operative adhesions, intussusception, malrotation of the gut
with volvulus, congenital atresia or stenosis of the gut.
• The most common cause of large bowel mechanical obstruction is
carcinoma of the colon.
11. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY (CONT)
• Vascular: When the blood supply is cut off, necrosis of tissue results,
with gangrene of the bowel.
• Examples include mesenteric arterial thrombosis or embolism.
• Congenital defects: These can produce an acute abdominal surgical
emergency any time from birth
• Examples include duodenal atresia, omphalocele or diaphragmatic
hernia and others like chronic malrotation of the intestine.
13. PAIN!
• Pain is the most prominent presenting complaint in a patient with
an acute abdomen
• It is important to know the origin, location, progression, radiation
and character of abdominal pain in order to understand its
significance.
• Less likely causes can also be systemically eliminated using the
above
15. ORIGIN OF PAIN
• Three types of pain identified: Visceral, Parietal and Referred
1. Visceral Pain
• Due to stretching of fibres innervating the walls of hollow or solid
organs.
• It occurs early and poorly localized
• It can be due to early ischemia or inflammation.
16. ORIGIN OF PAIN, CONT.
2. Parietal Pain: Caused by irritation of parietal peritoneum fibers.
• It occurs late and better localized.
• Can be localized to a dermatome superficial to site of the painful stimulus.
3. Referred Pain: Pain is felt at a site away from the pathological organ.
• Pain is usually ipsilateral to the involved organ and is felt midline if
pathology is midline.
• Pattern based on developmental embryology.
17. PAIN LOCATION
• From the organ
• distention,
inflammation or
ischemia.
• less severe pain
• poorly localized
• usually dull or
aching, constant or
intermittent
visceral
• From an irritated
peritoneal lining
often by pus,
urine, bile
• easily localized
• more severe pain
• sharp, constant
parietal
• visceral pain felt
in other areas of
the body and
occurs when
organs share a
common nerve
pathway.
• poorly localized
• usually a
referred
19. ONSET, PROGRESSION AND CHARACTER
3. Gradual steady pain:
Acute cholecystitis
Cholangitis
Hepatitis
Salpingitis
Appendicitis
Diverticulitis
4. Intermittent colicky pain:
Early pancreatitis
Small bowel obstruction
Ureters
20. VOMITING
• Reflex, or irritative non-specific vomiting
occurs in many conditions; and a
Prominent symptom in upper GI disease
• For Surgical abdomen, pain usually
precedes vomiting.
• Bowel obstruction: onset and character of
vomiting may suggest level
21. OTHERS INCLUDE:
Diarrhoea
• most common with acute gastroenteritis or food poisoning, but it
may occur with appendicitis or other focal inflammatory lesions of
the gut
Constipation or obstipation
• With complete small bowel obstruction - unrelenting constipation
(obstipation) after fecal material below obstruction has been
passed. Progressive constipation with carcinoma of the large bowel.
Gas stoppage with decreased or absent bowel sounds – paralytic
ileus
22. HISTORICAL FEATURES OF ABD PAIN
• Location, quality, severity, onset, and duration of pain, aggravating
and alleviating factors
• Gastrointestinal symptoms (Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhoea)
• Genitourinary symptoms
• Vascular symptoms (Atrial fibrillation / Acute Myocardial Infarction /
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm)
• Can overlap i.e. Nausea seen in both GI / GU pathologies.
23. PAST MEDICAL HSITORY
• Recent / current medications
• Past hospitalizations
• Past surgery
• Chronic disease
• Social history
• Occupation / Toxic exposure
(CO / lead)
• Gynaecological:
• Menstrual history
• Endometriosis
•Vaginal discharge
•Dysmenorrhea
• Travel history
• Drug and alcohol history
24. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
• Note patients’ general appearance.
• Note that the intensity of the abdominal pain may have no
relationship to severity of illness.
• One of the initial steps is obtaining and interpreting the vitals.
• Patients with visceral pain are unable to lie still.
• Patients with peritonitis like to stay immobile.
25. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT.
• Do not focus on the abdomen only – look for specific signs that confirm or rule out
other possibilities
General observation:
• Is the patient writhing (in visceral pain) or motionless (in parietal pain)?
Systemic signs:
• Pallor, Tachycardia, Hypothermia, Tachypnoea, Sweating, Fever, Associated
disorientation and lethargy
• Ps, fever is often mild or absent in established shock.
26. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT.
• LOOK – INSPECT for abdominal distention, peristalsis, scars, masses, rash.
• PALPATION – to look for guarding, rigidity, rebound tenderness, organomegaly,
or hernias, Murphy’s
• PERCUSSION – tenderness, rebound, shifting dullness
• AUSCULATE for hyperactive, obstructive, absent, or normal bowel sounds.
• Women should have pelvic examination.
• Anyone with a rectum should have rectal examination (If no rectum check the
ostomy).
• Cough to elicit pain: parietal pain generally has pain on coughing
27. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT
• Severe abdominal pain in patients who have been fairly well, and which
persists as long as six hours.
• Localized peritoneal inflammation – Persistent localized tenderness with
muscle spasm, indicative of. The tenderness may be best determined by
rectal or pelvic exam.
• Obstruction of a hollow viscus – Characteristic, severe, intermittent
cramping, colicky pain.
• Small bowel obstruction - Repeated vomiting of copious amounts of bile-
stained or faecal material.
28. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT
• Small intestinal obstruction – Markedly hyperactive bowel sounds.
• Paralytic ileus – Decreased to absent bowel sounds.
• Paralytic ileus not secondary to other abdominal pathology is treated
non-surgically.
• Paralytic ileus as an end-result of mechanical small bowel obstruction or
perforated duodenal ulcer requires surgical intervention to relieve the
underlying pathology.
29. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT
• Small bowel obstruction – distended loops of small bowel above the
level of obstruction in with absence of gas below by x-ray
• generalized distention of large and small bowel - paralytic ileus
• Perforation of a hollow viscus – e.g. a duodenal ulcer – free air under
diaphragm in an upright X-ray film
• Acute pancreatitis – Markedly elevated serum amylase levels
30. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CONT
• Palpation of a mass.
• In RLQ or RUQ - with intussusception.
• Adnexal mass by pelvic exam - ectopic pregnancy.
• Tender and thickened adnexae by pelvic in PID.
• An irreducible incarcerated inguinal hernia.
• A tender RLQ mass by abdominal palpation or rectal exam appendiceal
abscess.
32. LABORATORY TEST
• Full Blood Count (WCC is significant if raised)
• UEC / CMP
• ABG – in hypotension, generalised peritonitis, pancreatitis,
ischaemic bowel, septicaemia
• Amylase – mildly elevated with perforated peptic ulcer, strangulated
or ischaemic bowel, 3x normal for pancreatitis
• LFT – may distinguish medical from surgical conditions
33. LABORATORY TEST
• Urinalysis / Urine MC&S
• Blood glucose
• Cardiac Enzymes / Troponin
• b-HCG (ICON / Quantitative)
• Lactic acid
• Stool MC&S
• Group and Crossmatch blood if indicated
34. ERECT CHEST X-RAY
• Pre-operative assessment
• Exclude supra-diaphragmatic lesions that simulate acute abdomen
• Elevated hemidiaphragm or effusion = subphrenic inflammatory
lesions
• Air under diaphragm
36. ABDOMINAL X-RAY
• Supine views
• Size of bowel- distention
• Where is the bowel distended?
Centrally tends to be small
bowel
• Air fluid levels
• Haustra or vina coniventese
• Erect view
• little information except in
suspected obstruction
• Air in the rectum?
• Foreign body
• Renal or ureteric calculi
38. ULTRASONOGRAPHY
• Upper abdominal pain not resembling ulcer pain or bowel
obstruction
• Abdominal masses
• Helpful in acute appendicitis, pregnant or young woman with mid
or lower abdominal pain.
• CT more helpful in patients with bowel gas
• CT scan in conjunction with ultrasound is superior in identifying any
abnormality seen on plain film.
40. OTHER IMAGING MODALITIES
Angiography
• If intestinal ischaemia or haemorrhage suspected
Contrast X-ray
• Gastrograffin for suspected upper GI perforation.
• Barium enema may identify site of large bowel obstruction,
intussusception or sigmoid volvulus.
41. CT SCAN
• Becoming more readily available
• Useful in patients who don’t have clear indication for surgery
• May prompt or postpone operation
42. ENDOSCOPY
Proctosigmoidoscopy
• Any patient with suspected large bowel obstruction, excessively
bloody stool or rectal mass.
• May reduce sigmoid volvulus
Gastroscopy and ERCP
• Usually less urgently performed
• More in patients with mostly inflammatory conditions.
43. LAPAROSCOPY
• Also a diagnostic tool
• Especially young females e.g. to distinguish appendicitis from other
non-surgical problems
56. INDICATIONS FOR SURGICAL EXPLORATION
• Surgery is sometimes necessary without precise diagnosis
• Physical findings that indicate laparotomy:
• Involuntary guarding or rigidity
• Increasing or severe localised tenderness
• Tense or progressive distension of abdomen
• Tense abdomen or rectal mass with ↑fever
• Rectal bleeding with shock or acidosis
57. INDICATIONS FOR SURGICAL EXPLORATION
(CONT.)
• Endoscopic findings:
• Perforated or uncontrollable bleeding lesion
• Radiological findings:
• Pneumoperitoneum
• Gross or progressive bowel distension (obstruction)
• Free extravasation of contrast (perforations)
• Mesenteric occlusion
58. INDICATIONS FOR SURGICAL EXPLORATION
(CONT.)
• Paracentesis
• Blood
• Bile
• Pus
• Bowel content
• urine
60. TREAT HYPOTENSION
• If due to volume depletion from vomiting, diarrhea, decreased
oral intake or third spacing.
• Treatment would be isotonic crystalloid.
• If associated with abdominal sepsis (septic shock).
• Treatment would include isotonic crystalloid, antibiotics, and
vasopressors (levophed or dopamine).
61. PAIN MANAGEMENT
• Emergency Room physicians did not treat acute abdominal pain with
analgesics for fear of altering or obscuring the diagnosis.
• Current literature however favours the use of opioids judiciously in these
patients.
• Do not withhold analgesia
• Moderate doses don’t obscure or mask physical findings
• Abdominal masses may become apparent
• Pain in spite of adequate analgesia suggests serious condition
62. ANTIBIOTICS
• Must be consider when treating suspected abdominal sepsis or diffuse
peritonitis.
• Coverage should be aimed at anaerobes and aerobic gram negatives.
• If Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: suspected, must cover for gram
positive aerobes.
• Examples of monotherapy are ceftriaxone, cefoxitin, cefotetan, ampicillin-
clavulanate, ampicillin-sulbactam, ticarcillin-clavulanate etc.
63. INDICATIONS FOR ADMISSIONS:
• Manage As indicated
• Other Indications for Admissions:
• Pts who appear ill.
• Very young / Elderly
• Immunocompromised
• Unclear diagnosis
• Intractable pain, nausea, or vomiting
• Altered mental status
• Those using drugs, alcohol, or that lack social support.
• Pts with poor follow-up and/or noncompliant.
64. • Non-specific abdominal pain
• If this is the working diagnosis, patients must be re-examined in
24 hours.
• This may be done in the outpatient setting.