THE ACUTE ABDOMEN: MEDICAL OR SURGICAL?

摘要

The acute abdomen refers to a broad spectrum of medical and surgical diseases that cause sudden onset of abdominal discomfort and other signs referable to abdominal distress, which might include but is not limited to vomiting, diarrhea, inappetence, and abdominal distention. The acute abdomen is often associated with gastrointestinal disease or peritoneal inflammation, but can also be related to disease in the urinary, hepatobiliary, splenic, or reproductive tracts. Many animals that present for acute abdomen will have concurrent signs of cardiovascular compromise and impaired tissue perfiision secondary to hypovolemia or distributive shock. As an emergency clinician, top priorities in the management of the animal with the acute abdomen include stabilization of the patient (intravascular volume expansion and analgesia), quickly determining the underlying cause and differentiating those cases which will be treated medically from those that require (often emergent) surgical intervention.