Analgesia and the acute abdomen.

The Acute Abdomen

[Acute abdomen].

The Acute Abdomen.

The Acute Abdomen*

“For the abdominal surgeon it is a familiar experience to sit, ready scrubbed and gowned, in a corner of the quiet theatre, with the clock pointing midnight. ...In a few minutes the patient will be wheeled in and another emergency laparotomy will commence. This is the culmination of a process which began a few hours previously with the surgeon meeting with and examining the patient, reaching a ...

Acute Abdomen

The term 'acute abdomen' represents a rapid onset of severe symptoms that may indicate lifethreatening intra-abdominal pathology. Pain is usually a feature but is not always the case. A pain-free acute abdomen is more likely in the elderly, in children and in the third trimester of pregnancy. [1] The differential diagnosis is extremely wide and definitive diagnosis is often difficult, particula...