Evaluation and management of acute abdominal pain in the emergency department

International Journal of General Medicine

Volumn 5, Issue , 2012, Pages 789-797

  Macaluso, Christopher R ^a   McNamara, Robert M ^a  

^a TEMPLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

Acute abdomen; Emergency medicine; Peritonitis

Indexed keywords

MORPHINE;

ABDOMINAL RADIOTHERAPY; ABDOMINAL TENDERNESS; ACUTE ABDOMEN; ANALGESIA; ANOREXIA; AUSCULTATION; CARNETT SIGN; CLINICAL FEATURE; CLOSED EYE SIGN; COMPUTER ASSISTED TOMOGRAPHY; COUGH TEST; DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY; DIARRHEA; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; DISEASE COURSE; DISEASE DURATION; EMERGENCY CARE; EMERGENCY WARD; HUMAN; MEDICAL HISTORY; MURPHY SIGN; OBTURATOR SIGN; PAIN ASSESSMENT; PAIN RECEPTOR; PAIN THRESHOLD; PALPATION; PERCUSSION; PERITONITIS; PHYSICAL EXAMINATION; PSOAS SIGN; RADIATION INJURY; RECURRENT DISEASE; REFERRED PAIN; REVIEW; ROVSING SIGN; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY; SYMPTOM; VISCERAL PAIN; VITAL SIGN; VOMITING;

EID: 84877156070     PISSN: None     EISSN: 11787074     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2147/IJGM.S25936     Document Type: Review

References (55)

1. Pitts SR, Niska RW, Xu J, et al. National hospital ambulatory medical care survey: 2006 emergency department summary. National health statistics report; no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2008.
2. Selbst SM, Friedman MJ, Singh SB. Epidemiology and etiology of malpractice lawsuits involving children in US emergency departments and urgent care centers. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2005;21:165-169.
3. Kachalia A, Gandhi TK, Puopolo AL, et al. Missed and delayed diagnoses in the emergency department: a study of closed malpractice claims from 4 liability insurers. Acad Emerg Med. 2007;49:196-205.
4. Flum DR, Morris A, Koepsell T, et al. Has misdiagnosis of appendicitis decreased over time? JAMA. 2001;286:1748-1753.
5. Jung PJ, Merrell RC. Acute abdomen. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 1988;17:227-244.
6. Jones RS, Claridge JA. Acute abdomen. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, et al, editors. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: the Biologic basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 17th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2004:1219-1238.
7. Abbott J. Pelvic pain: lessons from anatomy and physiology. J Emerg Med. 1990;8:441-447.
8. Fenyo G. Acute abdominal disease in the elderly: experience from two series in Stockholm. Am J Surg. 1982;143:751-754.
9. Anderson JR, Lee D. The management of acute sigmoid volvulus. Br J Surg. 1981;68:117-120.
10. Silen W. Method of diagnosis: the history. In: Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen. New York: Oxford; 2010:18-27.
11. Hickey MS, Kiernan GJ, Weaver KE. Evaluation of abdominal pain. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 1989;7:437-452.
12. Feinstein B, Langton JNK, Jameson RM, et al. Experiments on pain referred from deep somatic tissues. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1954;36:981-997.
13. Silen W. Cholecystitis and other causes of acute pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. In: Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen. New York: Oxford; 2010:131-140.
14. Giamberardino MA, De Laurentis S, Affaitati G, et al. Modulation of pain and hyperalgesia from the urinary tract by algogenic conditions of the reproductive organs in women. Neurosci Lett. 2001;304(1-2):61-64.
15. Wagner JM, McKinney WP, Carpenter JL. Does this patient have appendicitis? JAMA. 1996;2786:1589-1594.
16. Kraemer M, Franke C, Ohmann C, et al. Acute appendicitis in late adulthood: incidence, presentation, and outcome. Results of a prospective multicenter acute abdominal pain study and a review for the literature. Arch Surg. 2000;3835:470-481.
17. Brewer RJ, Golden GT, Hitch DC, et al. Abdominal pain: an analysis of 1,000 consecutive cases in a university hospital emergency room. Am J Surg. 1976;131:219-224.
18. Godshall D, Mossallam W, Rosenbaum R. Gastric volvulus: case report and review of the literature. J Emerg Med. 1999;17:837-840.
19. Schafermeyer RW. Pediatric abdominal emergencies. In: Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapczynski S, et al, editors. Emergency Medicine: a Comprehensive Study Guide. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2004:844-851.
20. Busuttil SJ, Goldstone J. Diagnosis and management of aortoenteric fistulas. Semin Vasc Surg. 2001;14:302-311.
21. Inderbitzi R, Wagner HE, Seiler C, et al. Acute mesenteric ischaemia. Eur J Surg. 1992;158:123-126.
22. Chen EH, Shofer FS, Dean AJ, et al. Derivation of a clinical prediction rule for evaluating patients with abdominal pain and diarrhea. Am J Emerg Med. 2008;26(4):450-453.
23. Greenlee HB, Pienkos EJ, Vamderbilt PC, et al. Acute large bowel obstruction. Comparison of county, Veterans Administration, and community hospital populations. Arch Surg. 1974;108:470-476.
24. Hadjis NS, McAuley G, Ruo L, et al. Acute abdominal pain and the urge to defecate in the young and old: a useful symptom complex? J Emerg Med. 1999;17:239-242.
25. Ramoska EA, Sacchetti AD, Nepp M. Reliability of patient history in determining the possibility of pregnancy. Ann Emerg Med. 1989;18:48-50.
26. McNamara R. Abdominal pain in the elderly. In: Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapczynski S, et al, editors. Emergency Medicine: a Comprehensive Study Guide. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2004:515-519.
27. Trowbridge RL, Ruttconski NK, Shojania KG. Does this patient have acute cholecystitis? JAMA. 2003;289:80-86.
28. Silen W. Method of diagnosis: the examination of the patient. In: Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen. New York: Oxford; 2010:28-40.
29. Bundy DG, Byerley JS, Liles EA, et al. Does this child have appendicitis? JAMA. 2007;298:438-451.
30. Meyerowitz BR. Abdominal palpation by stethoscope [letter]. Arch Surg. 1976;111:831.
31. Marston WA, Ahlquist R, Johnson G, et al. Misdiagnosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms. J Vasc Surg. 1992;16:17-22.
32. Klompas M. Does this patient have an acute thoracic aortic dissection? JAMA. 2002;287:2262-2272.
33. Prout WG. The significance of rebound tenderness in the acute abdomen. Br J Surg. 1970;57:508-510.
34. Liddington MI, Thomson WHF. Rebound tenderness test. Br J Surg. 1991;78:795-796.
35. Bennett DH, Tambeur LJ, Campbell WB. Use of coughing test to diagnose peritonitis. BMJ. 1994;308:1336.
36. Markle GB. Heel-drop jarring test for appendicitis. Arch Surg. 1985;120:243.
37. Brewster GS, Herbert ME. Medical myth: a digital rectal examination should be performed on all individuals with suspected appendicitis. West J Med. 2000;173:207-208.
38. Jesudason EC, Walker J. Rectal examination in paediatric surgical practice. Br J Surg. 1999;86:376-378.
39. Thomson H, Francis DMA. Abdominal-wall tenderness: a useful sign in the acute abdomen. Lancet. 1977;2:1053-1054.
40. Gray DW, Seabrook G, Dixon JM, et al. Is abdominal wall tenderness a useful sign in the diagnosis of non-specific abdominal pain? Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1988;70:233-234.
41. Thomson WH, Dawes RF, Carter SS. Abdominal wall tenderness: a useful sign in chronic abdominal pain. Br J Surg. 1991;78:223-225.
42. Kovachev LS. 'Cough sign': a reliable test in the diagnosis of intra-abdominal inflammation [letter]. Br J Surg. 1994;81:1541.
43. Jeddy TA, Vowles RH, Southam JA. 'Cough sign': a reliable test in the diagnosis of intra-abdominal inflammation. Br J Surg. 1994;81:279.
44. Gray DW, Dixon JM, Collin J. The closed eyes sign: an aid to diagnosing nonspecific abdominal pain. BMJ. 1988;297:837.
45. Aldea PA, Meehan JP, Sternbach G. The acute abdomen and Murphy's signs. J Emerg Med. 1986;4:57-63.
46. Kharbanda AB, Taylor GA, Fishman SJ, et al. A clinical decision rule to identify children at low risk for appendicitis. Pediatrics. 2005;116:709-716.
47. Brownfield E. Pain management. Use of analgesics in the acute abdomen. In: Making Health Care Safer: a critical analysis of patient safety practices. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, No 43. AHRQ Publication No 01-E058. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2001:396-400. Available from: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ptsafety/. Accessed February 26, 2011.
48. Silen W. Principles of diagnosis in acute abdominal disease. In: Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen. New York: Oxford; 2010:3-17.
49. Thomas SH, Silen WH, Cheema F, et al. Effects of morphine analgesia on diagnostic accuracy in emergency department patients with abdominal pain: a prospective, randomized trial. J Am Coll Surg. 2003;196:18-31.
50. Valentine RJ, Barth M, Myers S, et al. Nonvascular emergencies presenting as ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms. Surgery. 1993;113:286-289.
51. Kessler N, Cyteval C, Gallix B, et al. Appendicitis: evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of US, Doppler US, and laboratory findings. Radiology. 2004;230:472-478.
52. Gwynn LK. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis: clinical assessment versus computed tomography evaluation. J Emerg Med. 2001;21:119-123.
53. Lee SL, Walsh AJ, Ho HS. Computed tomography and ultrasonography do not improve and may delay the diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis. Arch Surg. 2001;136:556-562.
54. Smith JE, Hall EJ. The use of plain abdominal x rays in the emergency department. Emerg Med J. 2009;26:160-163.
55. Maull KI, Reath DB. Pneumogastrography in the diagnosis of perforated peptic ulcer. Am J Surg. 1984;148:340-345.