title: Surgical complications of selected gastrointestinal emergencies: pitfalls in management of the acute abdomen.
abstract: Complaints referable to the abdomen are common emergency department presentations. Many of these conditions prove to be benign and self-limited, whereas others are potentially catastrophic. Because serious and benign intra-abdominal conditions share many relatively nonspecific symptoms, it is often difficult to identify patients who have life-threatening problems early in the course of their disease. Apart from relieving the patient's symptoms, the emergency physician's primary role is to detect and stabilize life-threatening conditions in a rapid and cost-effective manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1200 North State Street, Room G1011, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. ednewton@usc.edu
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Sujal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandavia
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004630:Emergencies; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D042882:Gallstones / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010439:Peptic Ulcer Perforation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy